Exploitation of hairless cats for self-aggrandizement

For me, and I suspect many others, this is an example of the exploitation of hairless cats for self-aggrandizement. A lot of people will disagree with me and enjoy the videos on TikTok, one of which is published below. I’ll explain what I mean. This woman, in Russia, realises that Sphynx cats have an interesting appearance. She also understands that success on these social media websites depends on standout performances. It is very competitive. So she decided to knit clothes for the cats on the pretext that she had to keep them warm although they are probably full-time indoor cats. The clothes anthropomorphize the cats. She adds TikTok music and voila you have a minor success on social media which is picked up by the news media. This is her objective. To seek personal fame on the back of her cats. That’s self-aggrandisement by exploiting your cats. All celebrity cats are created and promoted because of the same desire for their owners to make money and have their 15 minutes of fame online. The Sphynx cat is an ideal candidate for exploitation because of their strange appearance. They are intelligent too which probably helps.

The woman is Alena Olshanskaya. She has TikTok and Instagram accounts. I am sure that she sees nothing wrong in what she does. It is a matter of perception. How you perceive the world. A lot of people like it. They must otherwise she wouldn’t do it and have a modicum of success. I think it disrespects the domestic cat. It is undignified. It is using the cat and making them look silly. Not nice. Here is another:

Grumpy Cat was the first big domestic cat exploitation. Many have followed. There is money in it. Fame through cats on social media has become big business almost. It is a way of life for the participants. It takes hard work. Alena, as mentioned, knits the outfits for her cats. They are good and the pictures and videos are clever but at the end of day, in truth, it is cat exploitation for self-gain.