It pays to make people angry.
Rage-baiting has existed as long as the internet has been a thing, but thanks to algorithmically-ruled social media, eliciting clicks through anger has become incentivized and normalized.
Monetized Facebook groups use rage-bait to drive engagement. Advertisers use it to break through the noise with carefully calibrated taunts: “Taylor Swift has an IQ of 165. Think you can beat her in this online test?” Unscrupulous online “news” platforms use it to keep readers in perpetual doomscrolling loops, which is easy to do in a politically charged environment.
But rage-baiting cats? Why would anyone do that?
Apparently some people think it’s funny, and the practice seems to have originated where all of our society’s most brilliant ideas are spawned: on TikTok, that virtual salon where towering intellects advance the causes of humanity.
Of course you can’t bait a cat with politics or culture wars, so the videos of feline rage-baiting compilations demonstrate trolling of a more physical nature: pulling tails, aggressively petting when it’s not wanted, poking cats in their tummies, picking them up and taking an agonizingly long time to place them back on the ground.
If it annoys a feline and provokes a reaction, it’s on the table.
Rage-baiting is just another way to say they’re making their cats extremely frustrated to get a rise out of them.
When the cat reacts, that’s supposed to be the funny bit.
It’s not funny. Rage-baiting your cats, in honest terms, means doing things that make them deeply uncomfortable in their own homes where they’re supposed to feel safe. Arguably worse, the perpetrators are their humans, with whom they’re supposed to feel protected and loved.
As feline behavior consultant Julia Specht of Park Slope Paws told Upworthy, our furry friends are not in on the joke, they’re the butt of it.
“Cats can’t know what your intention is; they’re not capable of that tertiary-level thought,” Specht said. “All they know is that you’re doing something unpleasant that they don’t like.”
I’m not going for virtue signaling points when I say it’s a profound betrayal. I cannot fathom intentionally making my cat feel uncomfortable or frustrating him, let alone to do so motivated by potential attention from online strangers.
Your cat is supposed to be your pal. Your cat lives with you and loves you. Your cat is innocent. Why would anyone damage that relationship to bring a few seconds of misguided amusement to phone-addicted automatons who think messing with animals is funny?
Pain In The Bud 
It’s still abuse.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. It is abuse. If i were rescers or rescue groups i would try to see if adopted cat is being abused in that way. That is if people use thier names on Tik Tok. I have no clue how that garbage site works.
LikeLike
I don’t use TikTok, but basically it’s designed to keep people scrolling indefinitely and everyone’s screaming into the void to get attention, which is the currency.
Just like with those family vloggers on Youtube, I think some people lose sight of what’s important and are willing to cause harm in their lives for online attention.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A new sickness. Shocking!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I appreciate your respect for our beloved, furry friends. I can’t imagine how people can torture little creatures who love them and trust them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beloved furry friends and beloved meowscular tigers alike!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Totally forgot to pay homage to Little Buddy’s amazingly Meowscular Physique and Admirable Boldness! These qualities are in addition, of course, to his loving, furry-ness. Hope the Two Buddies have a wonderful, stress-free day.
LikeLike
We’re doing well and I hope you are too. Bud’s happy because I re-upped on snacks and turkey for him, and he’s been getting regular outdoor time on the balcony thanks to the nice weather.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s unfortunately a sign of the times and the low-hanging fruit that’s passes itself off as “human”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
With cats it’s like driving a small child crazy and filming it for laughs.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’m sure there are humans out there doing that, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I always think of that i influencer mom who accidentally uploaded a video of herself telling her kid to cry more when his dog was at death’s door at the vet. Or that mom who “managed” her daughter and friends as influencers and was convicted of abusing them, IIRC.
LikeLike
That’s disgusting. Those poor kitties. I’ve never been to TikTok. I recall when there were videos everywhere of cats being scared by cucumbers placed near their food while they were eating. I hated that too. Apparently that built up momentum on YouTube.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah the stupid cucumber trend. I think that was pre-TikTok or when it was in its infancy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why are people like that? What the hell is wrong with them? Don’t they have any empathy at all? Those cats trust their humans, they trust that they won’t be hurt, and then you have these morons tormenting them just because some other brainless idiots think it’s funny.
LikeLiked by 3 people
The only thing I know for sure is that whenever I encounter stories about people abusing their cats, I try to hug Bud, who then reacts like “What has gotten into you, human?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
I went to middle school in Alabama and I had a teacher who said creepy human behavior is “actin’ ugly”. Never forgot that because it’s so true. Unfortunately, I’ve seen many instances of Actin Ugly. Especially lately. 😪
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love those southernisms. Actin’ ugly indeed.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Unfortunately there are people out there whose idea of fun is tormenting their cat, then posting it FB or YouTube, in hopes of ‘Likes.’
LikeLiked by 1 person
And financial incentive too. People can earn a surprising amount of money if they have a decent audience.
LikeLike
Some people do anything for clicks. There’s a lot of disturbed folks out there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s also a subculture, for lack of a better word, that likes videos of animals suffering, but I haven’t touched that with a 10 foot pole and I won’t. The authorities know, they’re going after those people, and nothing can be gained by giving them attention.
LikeLiked by 1 person
*This is despicable, and completely unacceptable. *
Anyone who participates in this “trend” should be ashamed of themselves.
*Cats are our family, they deserve to be treated with respect and love, not tormented for someone else’s amusement. *
Anyone who watches this activity and enjoys it, is as bad as the person who is tormenting the cat.
LikeLike
There are mentally ill people out there who have more empathy like my neighbor down the block. Sadly, there was a murder-suicide couple of weeks ago on my block. Girl could not be helped with meds or being in a hospital. Mental illness took over and tragedy struck. I knew the 20 year old as a kid. Me and my neighbors always wanted to hug dogs on the block. And asked how my cat was doing when i got back from the vet.
LikeLike
Mental illness is sad and frustrating.
LikeLike
This is sick. What is the matter with people? These people should be identified and their pets rescued. They have no business having animals.
LikeLike