Feline fix fascinates younger generation, report says

Many young single people in China become fascinated by cats because they need affection, according to a report conducted by the Tencent Research Institute in December and January.

By 2013, there were nearly 200 million single people in the country, a rise of 8.6 percentage points from 1990, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Tencent surveyed 3,242 cat lovers, known in China as “cat sniffers” because of their tendency to literally inhale the scent of the animal, either their own pets or those belonging to neighbors, friends or relatives.

The results showed that more than 72 percent of respondents were born in the 1990s, far outweighing older and younger people with feline fever.

In addition, nearly 79 percent preferred to stay indoors alone rather than take part in outdoor activities.

The report said young introverted homebodies form the basis of the social group that is obsessed with cats, and concluded that the accelerated pace of modern life can result in singles becoming tired of maintaining relationships. That means they tend to focus on their own lives — and cool, mysterious felines that require little attention have a healing effect on them.

Wang Qi, a 27-year-old single student in Paris, often sniffs her neighbor’s cat.

“The cat is very intelligent and independent. He doesn’t feel lonely or need to be clingy. He remains suspicious of me all the time, except when I feed him. However, when I study in my room, he sleeps outside as if he were a companion,” she said.

“He can either be friendly or detached, which forms a very comfortable relationship between us, just like between lovers.

“I am alone in a foreign country and don’t have many friends because I like staying at home. So, in the future, I think I will adopt a cat from the animal association.”

Research conducted on 6,795 people by Jessica Gall Myrick in 2015, when she was an assistant professor of communications at Indiana University, showed that after watching a video about cats, more than 63 percent of subjects felt encouraged and supported.

Cats can also promote positive emotions, such as hope, happiness and satisfaction, according to Myrick’s research.

The Tencent report supported those findings, saying more than half of the respondents regarded cats as adorable, healing and good company.

Obsessing over animals doesn’t always involve raising a real pet, however, and many fans prefer to get their feline fix in other ways.

More than 71 percent said they read comics or novels about cats, while about 19 percent watched cat-related cartoons or documentaries.

Cat sniffers are more likely to surf the internet than other people, and are fond of making and disseminating cat emojis or short videos.

In contrast, dog lovers are more outgoing and more likely to take part in outdoor activities.

More than 72 percent of WeChat users have images of cats as their avatars, and the app contains 30,076 felinebased emojis, according to the report.

The Tencent report concluded that if the “sniffing” trend continues, the number of “cat consumers” on and offline, which currently numbers 30 million, will rise and create a robust catbased sub-economy.