The 2020 pandemic brought many changes in people’s behavior and routines.

Foodie friends are now plating their own meals instead of eating out. Exercise buffs are not in gyms but are busy doing home workout routines. Busy entrepreneurs are no longer cramping face-to-face meetings in a day but are swamped with video conference calls.

Social distancing is the new cool

One of the biggest changes we are all experiencing is social distancing – which means not physically meeting others to prevent viral spread. It also means keeping the recommended physical gaps in public areas.

Cats understand their role too

Many cat owners attest that felines are extremely smart. So, when a viral photo posted by The Philippine Star showed how instinctively cats followed social distancing protocols in a wet market in the Philippines, many were not surprised. In the photo, two orange cats and a spotted one placed themselves in the city’s marked circles, which were drawn to ensure social distancing among the customers.

According to the original uploader, Coleen Joice Aquino, she saw the stray cats quietly going to the circles one by one. They stayed for about ten minutes and then decided to leave.

Were they buying or observing?

The photo amused many social media users. They thought that the stray cats were very clever. They were not surprised but instead affirmed that cats are indeed natural at social distancing.

Some witty comments were:

“Cats the original social distancers….they are not aloof, they have been social distancing the whole time…humans finally caught on…cats are rather relieved now, because damn humans are slow to catch on.”

“Best as social distancing, best at all over cleanliness. Far superior to us. Give them thumbs and we’re done for!”

People wondered if this is normal

The viral photo began many fun discussions on social media. Are cats just naturally socially distant? Do they know we are in a pandemic and decided to observe the protocols?

There is a perfectly valid explanation

Many cat owners know that cats are drawn to circles and squares. Kitty parents challenge themselves to mark these spaces. They are certain that their babies will come.

However, the cats from the viral photo are strays. Does that mean that this behavior is universal among cats?

Inverse interviewed cat behaviorist Mieshelle Nagelschneider to find out more. She explained that cats are naturally drawn to enclosed spaces. They simply feel safer inside within borders. In many ways being within a confined space is their survival mechanism.

“Out in nature, they will hide from predators in a carved-out tree stump,” Nagelschneider says. “They will also hide themselves in this same tree stump to ambush their prey as part of their natural stalking and predatory behavior.”

Circle them in

Some comments from social media uphold Mieshelle’s explanation. A few netizens wrote:

“It’s the effect of domestication actually (they self-domesticated themselves). It’s like setting a boundary so they can feel safe. Tho normally they do this in a box or in any container that protects them.”

“If I put a masking tape circle or square on my kitchen floor my cats will all sit in it one after the other. Every time. This might be legit.”

With all this information, cat mommies and daddies out there probably need to draw mark circular spaces in their homes. Perhaps, it is one of way to reassure your babies that they are extra safe in this pandemic.

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Source: Phiippine Star Twitter, Instagram/tmthorneauthor, Inverse, The Cat Behavior Clinic, Instagram/yesurrey