Recipe for the perfect hoax :
1. Take something that everybody likes: cats.
2. Imagine a shocking, beautiful or weird story involving it.
3. Publish it / write it / send it via email, make it viral.
4. Final step: just wait for the suckers!
Who used that recipe? Well a bunch of people it seems! And with a little help from the Internet, stories can take serious proportions. So lets take a look at 11 hoaxes that I was able to find, featuring our lovely furry friends, the cats! Some stories are inspiring, others are gross or just boldly ridiculous. Happy reading!
Elvis the Robo Cat
The Story
This story is a really touching one! The story of that cat has been displayed in a “robot war” episode, in 2005, if I’m right.
So anyway, Elvis, the poor innocent cat, had a truck accident. It’s not specified if he was driving or not, but nonetheless, he lost the usage of his rear legs in this crash that would change the course of his miserable life. Left disabled and pitiful, his owner decided that he would do something about the poor thing. Like the superhero robot builder that his owner was, he just built his poor little animal a motorized platform that Elvis (still the cat) could control with his front paws… or try to control.
The Video
In the video, you can see how the super cat has trouble to control the thing and doesn’t seems to know what the hell he’s doing. By thinking that the story is true, this can be even funnier or more sad… you decide! Anyway, all in all, it was was just a hoax. The show was presented on Comedy Central, but who would have though that a Comedy Central clip could be a joke? Oh right, the comedy part! And those “danger nuclear” signs on their vest didn’t ring a bell to anybody back then?
Who fell for it?
Elvis the Robo-Cat movie
With that robot design, he’s going to have a lot of trouble to eat, he’s going to have to think outside of the box! Haha! Good one!
Bonsai Kittens
When it began
The bonsai kittens made their apparition in december 2000 (according to about.com) and it seems that a lot of people fell for it. I found a petition with 13,500 names and another one with 6,500. And some petitions has signatures as late as in 2007!
The Bonsai Kittens Website
The cruel story behind all this gross thing began with a website who, supposedly, offered ways and instructions on how to grow kittens into Mason jars. You could even buy “special” material from their website like those Mason jars and “really rare” equipment like scooper and glue… And there was this weird scary guestbook section with people trying to do the same thing with bunnies or completely messing up their poor little kitties (those were jokes too). The website is now offline, but you can still see it there (user discretion advised).
The FBI
After the site was investigated by the FBI (really!), the MIT was served with a subpoena asking for “any and all subscriber information” about the site. It seems that it was first served from a campus dormitory (probably at the MIT) but then moved to a commercial host. Finally, it was found to be a hoax perpetrated by a MIT student!
To know more about the Bonsai Kittens hoax:
One Eyed Kitten
The Story
This story is about a little cat that was born with one eye, like you can see on the picture. Traci Allen, the poor little pet’s owner, named it Cy (for Cyclops). It was born the night of Dec. 28 2005 and survived only one day.
The One-Eyed Kitten Picture
The only picture we saw was a blurry, not really well made picture that seemed more Photoshoped than Hollywood actress photos on a front page of magazines. And the poor cat, well, it looks more like a monkey than a cat, if you want to know my opinion.
The Real Story
And you know what? Sometimes, first impression can be deceiving… it looks like it’s a REAL story! Yep. Real stuff. The cat suffered from Holoprosencephaly, which is hum… not cool at all! Seriously, it’s a disorder that is caused by an underdevelopment of the front part of the brain , which causes in return defects in the development of the face and in brain’s functions (thanks Wikipedia).
To Know More About Cy
Painted Cats
The Painted Cats Book
There is really a coffee table book about painted cats that was made in 2002, written by New Zealanders Burton Silver and Heather Busch. You can even buy it from Amazon.com! But in it, there isn’t clear mention that it’s a spoof, so some people took it seriously and were shocked by the book. Others well… just tried to paint their animals. Anyway, I really like the bikini paint job on that kitty. Really classy!
More About Painted Cats
Snowball the Monster Cat
The Fake Story Behind the Image
First, the picture was sent by email without any explanation. And when it began to appear on TV, someone had written a story to describe what happened. The cat, named Snowball, was apparently a baby of a cat that Mr. Degagne , from Ottawa (Canada), found near a nuclear lab. 87 pounds later, you got what you see in this amazing picture.
The Real Story Behind the Image
Just like the “Tourist Guy“, the Man featured on that picture, Cordell Hauglie, a resident of Edmonds, Washington, didn’t expected to be an Internet celebrity that fast. And to add to the amazement of that man, this picture was sent only to some of his daughter’s friends as a joke. Imagine the reaction of the fellow when he saw his picture on TV, newspaper and in magazines!
To Know More About Snowball the Monster Cat
Read the last part of this article :
11 Cat Hoaxes, Part II
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September 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
The bonsai kitten, although a hoax, was still wrong because it might have inspired someone to try it. I remember the one-eyed cat, and wondered if it was real or not. Poor little guy.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Kristi : Yes, the bonsai kitten was really disturbing… I remember when a guy at work talked about it and he was sure that it was a true thing.