It may seem churlish to tweet pictures of cats after the horrific terrorist attack in Barcelona, but that was the response after the Spanish Police issued this notice when they saw horrific pictures of the dead and injured posted on Twitter:
🚩Por respeto a las víctimas y a sus familias, por favor, NO compartas imágenes de heridos en atropello de #Ramblas de Barcelona
— Policía Nacional (@policia) August 17, 2017
Translation: “Out of respect for the victims and their families, please do not share images of the wounded in the collision on the # Ramblas of Barcelona.” But of course in a moment like this people want to come together, share their outrage and their sorrow, and comfort one another.
So, according to the BBC (h/t: Greg Mayer), they tweeted pictures of cats. After all, what’s more consoling than a cat, especially one with a message? Here are a few of the tweets collected by the Beeb and me:
#Barcelona my thoughts are with all the people affected by this cowardly attack. Here's my cat. pic.twitter.com/FIBgei10DX
— Marlous (@MarlousSmits) August 17, 2017
We live on such a beautiful planet but in such an ugly world🌍 #Barcelona #FuerzaBarcelona #LasRamblas #TotsSomBarcelona pic.twitter.com/w9iaGV6TIi
— Paf & Tika (@PafGreyCat) August 18, 2017
And two with videos:
Here's that. I will not help spread hate or fear as they wish.
Love and cats for you all ❤ #Barcelona #lasRamblas pic.twitter.com/Qnj0FhsUdo— Ariadna Herrera 🐰🎀 (@ariartna) August 17, 2017
Full twitter #Cambrils #Barcelona #StopTerrorism with kitten pics, no victims or policeman. Let athorities act! pic.twitter.com/ijuV1RolNl
— ɪʙᴏɴ ツ (@_xMEGGA) August 17, 2017
And some animal joy as lagniappe: baby hippo Fiona and her mother Bibi playing at the Cincinnati Zoo:
Reminds me of Brussels. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/22/national-emergency-belgians-respond-with-cats
This makes me so, so happy.
Cats bring joy. Love and cats to all, indeed!
I second that.
Cats and hippos. I’m left wordless watching baby Fiona and her mom, Bibi, cavorting and zipping around in the water. The video is stunning and I’m profoundly moved to be able to witness this wonderful play, even if they’re in a zoo.
I’ve never seen such cute hippos in my life. Then again, my life has been relatively short and generally low on hippo encounters 🙂
The oxytocin hit from the kitty pictures is a sorely needed coping mechanism.
Yes! This is good. In this kind of horrific situation I don’t find it disrespectful or churlish to post pictures of lovely cats. In this case it’s being done mindfully with care and respect for the suffering of the injured and the grief of the bereaved.
There’s something to be said for countering horror with beauty. Another possibility would be posting works of art. (Right now I have Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night in mind.)
Thanks for the feel-good medicine. It helps.
Cats are a great relief from all that’s going on. Cats provide a safe space when suffering from news overload.
Cats and hippos. Then again, my life has been relatively short and generally abject on hippo encounters 🙂