Cats In The Philippines Are Practicing Social Distancing Too As They Are Spotted Sitting On Circle Marks In A Market

by Damjan

Pics from the Philippines that were recently shared on the Internet show cats sitting in white circle marks on the pavement. The photos were taken in front of the market, and the circles were painted to help people keep social distancing, and it’s highly doubtful they city authorities were thinking of the cats when they decided to create them.

But cats seem to obey the social distancing instructions well and cats are pretty notoriously known for delighting in squares and circles on the ground. However, we have always considered cats as a sort of rebellious creatures and find the photos of these cats rather amusing.

Well, maybe we can learn something from cats… The photos got a lot of attention and went viral lightning fast. Most of the users complimented the cats on their discipline and wished people would be the same.

Coleen Joice Aquino shared pics of stray cats sitting inside of social distancing signs on a pavement in Quezon City

Coleen Joice Aquino

The pics quickly became viral.

PhilippineStar

The felines stayed inside the markers for about 10 minutes. This band of cats usually comes here searching for food

Coleen Joice Aquino

PhilippineStar

Coleen Joice Aquino

Quezon City local Coleen shared the pics on her Facebook account. That’s when the awesome photos went viral and were even included in the news.

Coleen said she was taking a walk when she saw the cats. “I took the photos on May 10 and these cats are just roaming around the public market where our vegetable store is located at. That was the first time I saw cats sitting in the circles.”

Coleen says she didn’t expect her pictures to go viral. “I just posted them because I found it cute and nice content to share on social media.” She added that when she took the photos, her city was implementing an Enhanced Community Quarantine (aka an ECQ). “But now it is under Extreme ECQ. And people here are following regulations.”

The cats keep coming back looking for food

“I was so excited that I took pictures of them,” she stated for the local media. She also said that these specific felines are strays that keep coming there searching for food.

And if you think that their behavior is strange, for your information - felines like being inside circles and squares. It’s a survival instinct.

Cat behaviorist Mieshelle Nagelschneider from The Cat Behavior Clinic says that felines are drawn to confined spaces since hiding is both a predatory and a predator-avoiding instinct.

“Out in nature, they will hide from predators in a carved-out tree stump. They will also hide themselves in this same tree stump to ambush their prey as part of their natural stalking and predatory behavior,” she said. “Placing themselves in a circle would give a cat a sense of security and safety and, at least in their minds, an increased chance of survival.”