Popular Social Media Animals of 2016

People aren’t the only living beings who get popular on social media. In fact, many social media users much prefer to see posts involving animals than anything people might say. One might even say that this is especially true during the political seasons when most of the posts are less than intelligent. Some of the most popular animals are too big to fit through pet doors, but not too big to fit into the hearts of animal lovers everywhere.

Cats

Are there ever enough cat pictures? Whether the posts concern the ever-popular Grumpy Cat or another cardboard box full of kittens being promoted as the Cat Lady Starter Kit, cats never seem to lose popularity. Of course, there is bound to be a day when felines of the world unite in protest over the baby-talk voice that some people give their cats, but that’s hopefully far into the future.

Otters

Otters started their own trend with a meme that demonstrated how sweetly they sleep together. Humanity doesn’t look so great when you learn that animals in the wild hold hands as they sleep so they don’t float away from each other. Meanwhile, human parents are arguing about whether or not to let their children self-soothe themselves to sleep.

Dogs

From Pickle, the guru of New York’s art scene, to Aspen the Adventure Dog, some pet owners are making their friendly pups the centerpieces for their travel photography. Don’t forget about the dog diary that sits alongside the cat diary and demonstrates the stark differences in the way that these common household pets view their human counterparts.

Deer

Since more and more deer are losing their fear of humans, there is plenty of opportunity for them to be featured on social media sites. Some people have even taken to giving their “pet” deer a special dog bed on the couch. The pet doors aren’t quite big enough for them, but it’s really only a matter of time.

Turtles

Turtles are quickly gaining popularity, and they don’t even have to be teenage mutants. Images of turtles riding crocodiles and taking care of their young are starting to become more common. You can even see a turtle in high speed mode as it tries to make a quick getaway from a local videographer.

Birds

From the birth of young eagles to colorful collages of birds from around the world, these feathered beauties are making the rounds. The good news is that people are also starting to get more interested in the care and maintenance of their feathered friends so their birds retain their feathers and lose the anxiety-filled squawks.

There are a lot of fun memes and tweets when it comes to pets and other animals, but the increasing presence of animals on social media is also lending to insight into some of the tools that pet owners find most useful, like pet doors and underground fencing. Of course, the pets themselves might not appreciate all the memes and sayings that go with them. Fortunately for the human race, that isn’t an issue … yet.