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cathyr19355 at 03:47pm on 09/09/2007
cathyr19355 at 03:47pm on 09/09/2007Those of you who don't bother to keep up with the Kittenwar! webpage probably don't know that they were planning to produce a "Kittenwar!" book.
The book is now available in bookstores, for $14.95. I looked through a copy of it yesterday, over brunch. Even though it was greatly overpriced for its length, I was sufficiently impressed with it that I nearly bought it. Why?
Because most of the text of the book was dedicated to the site operators' own analysis of what makes a cute kitten cute--with a specific emphasis on why some kittens perform better in the ratings than others. Their analysis largely parallels mine (if you ignore some differences in terminology), but they mentioned some issues that help explain cases I found marginal, including the following:
* It matters a lot whether the cat seems at ease with being photographed. Cats who appear to be even a bit apprehensive or fearful do not do as well. (Makes sense.)
* Traditional brown and gray tabbies do not do as well. The authors suggest that it's because their markings remind us humans too much of the big predator cats. (I'm not sure whether I buy this or not, but the ratings appear to support it.)
* Orange/blond/redhaired cats do better than other colors.
The authors noted, by the way, that cats attempting to mimic human behavior seem to register as cuter, but don't seem to understand why this is effective. (I said that it's a subcase of the "vulnerable is cute" attribute.)
Overall, the book is a charming read-once for any cat lover. Get a friend a copy to read as a birthday present, and read it first.
The book is now available in bookstores, for $14.95. I looked through a copy of it yesterday, over brunch. Even though it was greatly overpriced for its length, I was sufficiently impressed with it that I nearly bought it. Why?
Because most of the text of the book was dedicated to the site operators' own analysis of what makes a cute kitten cute--with a specific emphasis on why some kittens perform better in the ratings than others. Their analysis largely parallels mine (if you ignore some differences in terminology), but they mentioned some issues that help explain cases I found marginal, including the following:
* It matters a lot whether the cat seems at ease with being photographed. Cats who appear to be even a bit apprehensive or fearful do not do as well. (Makes sense.)
* Traditional brown and gray tabbies do not do as well. The authors suggest that it's because their markings remind us humans too much of the big predator cats. (I'm not sure whether I buy this or not, but the ratings appear to support it.)
* Orange/blond/redhaired cats do better than other colors.
The authors noted, by the way, that cats attempting to mimic human behavior seem to register as cuter, but don't seem to understand why this is effective. (I said that it's a subcase of the "vulnerable is cute" attribute.)
Overall, the book is a charming read-once for any cat lover. Get a friend a copy to read as a birthday present, and read it first.
amused
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