Internet cat videos put feline adoptions ahead of dogs
It seems 2016 is the year of the cat - and experts say that cute online videos are to blame.
For the first time in its 156-year history, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has rehomed more cats than dogs.
Lindsey Quinlan, the home’s head of catteries, said the popularity of feline antics circulating in clips on social media has turned us into a nation of cat lovers.
The animal charity has housed 200 more cats than dogs this year.
Quinlan told The Daily Telegraph: "We saw the first boom in feline rehoming in 2013, but their popularity has continued to rise with more people moving into flats, where it’s harder to keep a dog, and more internet cat celebrities gaining their own social media fan bases.
"Last year, Battersea rehomed an average of nine cats and seven dogs per day."
The London-based charity, which opened in 1860, said there was a 30% rise signs in the number of cats being rehomed in 2014 compared with the previous year.
Here's a few of the clips that may be contributing to the rise of the moggy: