Can you imagine a world without the internet? How about a world without cats on the internet? Internet Day is celebrated on October 29th, and we can’t let this day pass without remembering what made the internet great in the first place — cats!
These days, we’re all connected online every day of the year, whether at our computers or on our smart phones. Of course, cats play a huge role in the content we consume.
So in celebration of Internet Day, here’s a flashback list featuring five of the most famous original viral cats of all time.
1. Nora
Way back in 2007, a feline named Nora charmed the world by starring in a video of her playing the piano.
The footage of Nora perched at the ivories is super entertaining. However, her approach to melody is very much — ahem — avant-garde.
2. Maru
Maru is all about doing one thing and doing that one thing very well, indeed: Fitting into a cardboard box.
Hilarity ensues when our feline hero attempts — and usually succeeds in some sort of fashion — to cram his torso into a box that’s obviously way too small for him.
Since debuting on YouTube, Maru has become the one of the most viewed animals on YouTube of all time, clocking up over 325 million views.
3. Keyboard Cat
Yep! We’re back in the musical scene, this time with Keyboard Cat, who came to worldwide fame in 2007.
According to legend, the cat in question is named Fatso, and footage of him pretending to play a number of upbeat, electronic tunes has charmed the world over 60 million times to date.
4. Standing Cat
You know that curious thing your cat sometimes does, when they pop up on their back legs and peer around like some kind of feline-meerkat hybrid?
Well, video footage of a kitty rumored to be called Rocky doing just that struck viral gold back in 2010 when it hit the internet.
5. Nyan Cat
Finally, let’s take a moment to remember one of the most brilliant — and, admittedly, infuriating — viral cats of all time.
Named Nyan Cat, this digital kitty with a Pop-Tart for a body grooved through outer space to a J-pop song by Hatsune Miku.
At the time of writing, viewers have willingly driven themselves nuts over a whopping 190 million times by watching the video.
Who’s your favorite viral cat of all time? How many times have you watched these viral kitties? Let us know in the comments below!