Not many animals on the planet can lay claim to having been obsessed over, loved, and imbued with human traits as much as cats have over the years.

It really is quite impressive how many different thoughts and feelings we have managed to attribute to them when we are in their company, primarily because we enjoy having them around and watching them go about their business. This is a big part of the reason that they are such an unavoidable cornerstone of meme culture, as there is real affection (and occasionally frustration) behind using them as a combined muse for so many years of stupid internet humor. It is purely an extension of countless generations of human beings observing and enjoying their behavior, and making that into a fun way to socialize.