Catvertising 101: Why Cat Content Works and How to Use It

Cats Were Viral Before “Viral” Was a Thing

Cats had always fascinated us even before Instagram and TikTok reels started dominating the Internet. Whether you grew up in the eras when Tom & Jerry, Doraemon, Garfield, and Hello Kitty were more than just characters or remember the Tumblr obsession with Nyan Cat and Grumpy Cat, one thing we all can agree on: cats have an unexplainable grip on pop culture and our collective attention.

Even now, cats consistently spark trends, whether it’s an Oyen hijacking Zoo Negara’s capybara enclosure or an AI generated cat catching a falling toddler. These aren’t just internet oddities. They’re proof that cats move people. And when people care, they click, comment, and share.

Why Cats Dominate Online Content

Cats aren’t just cute. They’re contradictions - independent yet clingy, mysterious yet dramatic, judgy yet lovable. That paradox is exactly what makes them magnetic in life and in content. For cat owners, their shenanigans are relatable. For everyone else, they’re aspirational, embodying the traits most of us admire:

- They don’t seek approval
- They’re effortlessly entertaining
- They know what they want, and get it
- They radiate “main character” energy

That’s what makes cats ideal for meme culture and content loops. They don’t need scripts, props, or filters. Their expressions and behaviour are the hook. Studies have even shown that watching cat videos improves mood, making cats ideal vehicles for emotionally engaging marketing.

And let’s be real: people rarely watch ads to the end. But throw a cat in? Suddenly, they’re watching a 30-second video on repeat.

How Silver Strings Uses Catvertising in Content to Boost Results

When submissions for our AJI-SHIO® contest started to slow down, we knew what to do: let the cat out of the bag. Using meme-style visuals we featured different cheeky felines in the reminder post to attract attention. Even though the products aren’t pet-related at all, the cats made it scroll-stopping.

As a result, that post saw a spike in engagement. Comments flooded in with users tagging friends and laughing at the cats' behaviour, and the contest hit its KPI shortly after. Sometimes all it takes is a little feline intervention.

Beyond our own work, local brands like ZUS Coffee also recognised the charm of cats when they brought back their Meowtcha series following its global traction in 2024, proving the staying power of cat-led campaigns. Other local cafés quickly followed suit with their own cat-inspired menu items.

Even trending audio on Instagram and TikTok is proof of cat power. From meow-ified versions of famous songs to AI-generated humanoid cat dramas, the content is dominating social media explore pages. Brands are riding the wave of it by pairing their visuals with these viral sounds even when cats aren’t central to the brand or the product. It’s attention hijacking in the best way.

How to 'Catvertise' Your Content

You don’t need to sell pet food to make cat content work for you. Here’s how to do it right:

- Keep it authentic: Feature real cats if possible and let their presence steal focus for a little bit.
- Ride the trends: Use viral cat audio or filters already gaining traction.
- Leverage memes: Insert your product into existing cat memes or remix trending formats.
- Let the cat be the hook: Even if it’s just in the first three seconds, the cat will draw viewers in.

TL;DR: Cats Bring Clicks, Laughs, and Loyalty

Whether it’s a real cat or an AI-generated one, feline content will continue to dominate social media beyond 2025. Want to tap into feline appeal but not sure how to make it work for your brand? Leave it to the cat people at Silver Strings, we’ll find a way to make you content land (on all four paws).