By Isabelle Gerretsen
CATS have overtaken 'selfies' online, with people sharing more cat content than images of themselves for the first time on social media.
More than 3.8 million cat photos, videos and memes were shared a day on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in 2013 across Britain and Northern Ireland, compared with 1.4 million selfies, according to research by mobile network Three.
Some 350,000 people set up a social media account for their cats in 2013, the research found.
A fifth said they had done this because they thought their cat was more interesting than themselves. Some 15 per cent said they shared cat content hoping their pet would become as famous as Grumpy Cat, who has nearly 20 million views on YouTube.
Meanwhile famous London animal refuge Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has said they are rehoming more felines for the first time in its 154-year history.
Cats have beaten their canine competition to become man's new best friend, with nearly 800 more cats than dogs finding new homes in 2015.
The charity launched the campaign Cat Takeover in 2013 to encourage people to rehome cats as well as dogs.
Staff at the home said the popularity of its feline residents has soared in the past three years.
Lindsey Quinlan, Battersea's head of cattery, said: "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."
