this is why you should never disguise your cat

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Accounts of cats dressed up as Mersha are all the rage on social media. A practice that outraged veterinarian and columnist Hélène Gateau.

Since the first clicks on social networks, cats have been Internet stars. There are countless pages, photos and videos devoted to them. On Instagram, one of the best known is a black cat living in Texas and answering to the name of “Mersha”. He is most famous as an influencer. He regularly sports various outfits ranging from a Hawaiian shirt to a Yoda disguise.

Clothes specially designed for cats that are all the rage, but have also provoked a rant from Hélène Gateau. Known as an animal columnist on France Télévisions, she is first and foremost a veterinarian by profession and very committed to the fight against the mistreatment of our animal friends. She used the example of Mersha to call on people to stop dressing them like this.

“Learned Helplessness” and “Abuse”

For her, it is not natural for a cat to agree to wear clothes. Mersha, however, appears calm in the photos and videos published. In view of his images, “We say that everything is fine”, says Hélène Gateau. But it is, according to her, “learned helplessness”. A term which designates resignation in the face of failure, and which is used in particular in the context of school failure, she recalls. “No matter how hard the cat tries, he will not be able to escape his fate. He is resignedcontinues the veterinarian.

Similarly, certain gestures apparently “cute” of Mersha who licks her lips, saliva or yawns, would in reality be signs of anxiety and stress. “Let’s stop sharing these kinds of videos. It’s abuse”, she concludes. His video, posted on August 20, received many positive comments acknowledging the need to put an end to these practices. She doesn’t seem to have reached Mersha’s owners though.. Since then, they have published more than a hundred photos and videos and exceeded the 100,000 subscriber mark.

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