YouTube reveals 40 per cent spike in views of ‘Videos for Cats’ in 2019 to a staggering 55MILLION as pet owners entertain their felines with footage of birds and squirrels ‘having fun’
- YouTube revealed to MailOnline stats for ‘Videos for Cats’ searches in 2019
- Google-owned company revealed more than 55 million such searches last year
- This figure marks an increase of around 40 per cent on the previous year
- Paul Dining from Cornwall accounts for 8 out of 10 of the most-viewed ‘Videos for Cats’ videos globally
Cat videos are notoriously among the most viewed content on the web, but it seems that cats themselves are not averse to the odd YouTube binge.
Pet owners are regularly putting hours-long YouTube videos on for their feline friends to watch while they’re busy or out of the house.
Users around the world watched clips with ‘Videos for Cats’ in the title more than 55 million times in 2019, the Google-owned firm has revealed.
This marks an increase of 40 per cent on the previous year, as owners seek out new ways to keep their beloved animals entertained.
Paul Dining, a wildlife photographer from Cornwall, was the top beneficiary of this bizarre trend. Five of those years have involved animal-orientated videos. Some are several hours long. which feature birds, mice and the occasional squirrel (pictured)
Cats often watch videos with stimulating content playing when left to their own devices, with some YouTubers posting videos of their inquisitive pets on the site
Content creators on YouTube have tapped into the niche and emerging market and are producing reams of content designed specifically for domestic felines.
Paul Dining, a wildlife photographer from Cornwall who has been active on YouTube for 10 years, was the top beneficiary of this bizarre trend.
Five of his years on the video-streaming site have involved animal- entertainment.
Some are several hours long and feature birds, mice and the occasional squirrel.
One of his videos, titled ‘Videos for Cats and Dogs : 8 Hours of Birds and Squirrel Fun’, was posted on February 9, 2019 and has racked up almost 2.1million views.
YouTube says 1.7million of those views came in the last calendar year.
A video called ‘Videos for Cats to Watch – Birds and Squirrel Fun in December’ first posted in 2016 has almost 4.5million views.
On his YouTube channel, Mr Dining simply says: ‘I have produced hundreds of wildlife videos showing off the rare birds and the not so rare birds, plus videos of the most spectacular places to visit in Beautiful Cornwall.’
But it appears his biggest hits are intended for non-human consumers.
His videos account for 8 out of 10 of the most-viewed ‘videos for cats’ videos globally.
At the time of writing, his channel has accrued more than 175million views.
‘YouTube is home to an amazing array of creators and allows them to grow their talents from the comfort of their own home,’ Nicolas Szmidt, YouTube International Trends Research Lead, told MailOnline
‘Paul Dinning has transformed his bird-watching hobby into an incredible destination for cat entertainment as he gives felines unique and exciting content to watch all over the world.
‘The growing popularity of Paul’s channel is a great example of how the YouTube community (human and animal alike!) can find content they love and a community to join on the platform.’