This cat is as mesmerized by optical illusions as you are
A famous optical illusion doesn't stand a chance against the hunting instincts of a bored housecat.
YouTube user Ryan Kotzin rescues squirrels as a hobby, but he also has a pet cat named Peter. Peter has a hobby of his own: eating optical illusions. Kotzin posted a video on Friday showing Peter puzzling over an optical illusion.
"Rotating Snakes" is the optical illusion that has Peter so flummoxed. It's a familiar one consisting of a series of overlapping round wheels that appear to move, much like a series of coiled snakes. Peter stares at the illusion, pounces on it and then eventually gives in to his lust for destruction and bites the paper. There is a pause for some grooming.
Peter isn't the only cat to have a reaction to an optical illusion. A 2014 paper titled "Cats and Illusory Motion" appeared in the journal Psychology and showed that cats can react with hunting behaviors when faced with the Rotating Snakes illusion.
Kotzin's video, which has over 1.3 million views, is the stuff viral internet dreams are made of it. It has a cute cat, an optical illusion and funny animal behavior all rolled up into a two-minute masterpiece.
