As the saying goes, the internet is made of cats.  Which is true because it’s the best way for cat lovers to both share and watch videos starring their favorite animals.  Since there are so many videos of cats doing inexplicable things that anyone can readily watch on their phone, how does one explain the ongoing popularity of the CatVideoFest film series?  (It began in 2019, and after a Covid lull has steadily grown over the past five years.)  To paraphrase Homer Simpson, why would people pay to watch something they can already watch for free?

For longtime owners of cats like myself, watching a CatVideoFest movie in a theater is a pilgrimage.  Not only do I get to see cat antics on a big screen, but I get to enjoy them alongside cat owners like myself, who make up a very strange club.  Can you imagine owners of dogs, gerbils, rabbits or other animals doing this?

Of course, the appeal of cat videos–and by extension the CatVideoFest films–is entirely due to their subject matter.  I read somewhere that people find cats hilarious because they look so serious when they do something silly, and there’s truth in that.  In an abstract way, cats have become the silent movie performers of our time, like Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton.  The pratfalls they get themselves into are funny because of their dumbfounded reactions.  For example, there’s nothing funnier than seeing the look on a cat’s face when it falls off the couch.

The reason for the proliferation of cat videos involves more than simple comedy skits, however.  As CatVideoFest 2026 shows us, there are great videos of cats sleeping, making strange noises or intensely watching birds.  And when you see a number of cat videos in succession, you realize that humans have accepted their responsibility to record all sorts of cat behavior, which is endlessly fascinating for cat aficionados.

One explanation for why there are so many cat videos is that their behavior is often inexplicable.  If you’ve owned a cat, you know that you don’t know what to expect from them at any moment.  Accordingly, owners film them constantly, just in case something interesting transpires.  By extension, when you record your cat and share the video with others, you’re contributing to an ongoing behavioral study.  So far, the only thing cat documentarians have learned without a doubt is that cats were made to be filmed, and they always manage to oblige us with a worthwhile performance.

The one rule for members of the cat owner’s club is that they promise to dedicate a huge portion of your smartphone’s memory towards recording them and subsequently reviewing the footage with friends and family at all times.  Here’s my cat being all sweet and cuddly.  Oh, here was the time he ran around the room like a thing possessed.  Here’s when he ran so fast at feeding time he knocked the bowl over and sent kibble flying everywhere.

Conversely, watching cat videos lets you see what other owners are experiencing.  My current two cats are sloths in disguise, so it’s interesting to see energetic cats who love to play and get into trouble.  As I sat watching CatVideoFest 2026, my thoughts morphed into a kind of window shopping.  As in, I’d like a cat like that one, that one has such a nice coat, that one does a cool trick, and so on.

Which brings me to the essential function of cat videos, which is to capture each cat’s individuality.  Cats are very much like people, in how no two are alike.  I’ve owned a dozen cats and no two were alike.  For whatever reason, nature is dedicated to producing one unique cat after another, and it’s every cat owner’s duty to let the world know what’s special about their little fuzz ball.

I realize I should spend more time here discussing the movie at hand.  Each film in this series has the same structure.  The videos are curated by Will Braden, who must really love cats because I’m guessing he spent many hours sifting through countless submissions to produce this year’s “greatest hosts” compilation.  Braden then loosely categorizes the videos, which result in cute title cards.  Most importantly, there’s no annoying host providing voice-over narration as with America’s Funnies Home Videos.  The movie is just one clip after another.  Hemingway’s quote, “There’s always another cat,” is very appropriate for these films.

The videos themselves are similar to those that can be found on any social media platform.  Most are stand-alone entries, except for one owner who made three videos recording his “Cat Olympics”.  This reminded me of an older man in prior entries who sang to his cat while playing his piano.  I’m sure he’s shuffled off this mortal coil by now, but the knowledge that his love for his cat will live on brought a smile to my face.

Other videos of note include one with a couple who take their cat along with them to explore caves.  An owner in England takes his cat for bicycle rides, where his passenger hisses at every passing dog.  Another owner shows how differently his cat reacts when he extends his outstretched finger versus his entire hand.  One owner recorded how his trio of cats were drawn to a wall light fixture.  Initially, he thought they detected something supernatural.  It isn’t, but the reason behind their fixation is funny.

In addition to the amateur content, there’s a Simon’s Cat animated short from creator Simon Tofield.  There’s also a clever and artsy short of a cat who has a metaphysical awakening after  gazing into their owner’s hand mirror.  Even though CatVideoFest 2026 is only an hour and ten minutes long, there are so many videos in it that I could never remember them all.  I can say that they’re all good and together make for a very feel-good good time at the theater.  If you’re hedging over the cost, I’ll point out that a portion of the proceeds goes to local animal shelters.

As was the case with prior entries in this series, CatVideoFest 2026 offers up another thoroughly enjoyable compilation of cat videos.  The movie is a celebration of all things cat, and as such is unquestionably perfect.  Highly recommended.