6 June 2025, 14:32

By Alison Richards

The popularity of certain cat breeds on social media leads people to unknowingly promote the breeding of cats that suffer painful health conditions.

We’re all guilty of it, especially us animal lovers. Whether it’s a fluffy duckling waddling behind its mum, a litter of puppies playfully clamouring over one another, or a snoozing cat in a basket – there’s something about animals that can make our hearts melt as we let out a squeal of “aww.” And of course, with social media we now have the ideal platform to access even more of the ‘aww factor’ - an online world where we can all become content creators and bring our pets along for the ride.

It all sounds pretty harmless, but the truth is that when it comes to animals, there can be a horrifying reality to so-called ‘cuteness culture.’ And as a vet who works specifically with cats, I’ve been increasingly worried about the popularity of certain breeds that I see regularly on Insta, TikTok and Facebook. Almost all of these cats will be owned by people who love their pets and animals more generally, but may be........

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