The campaign is too cute to ignore. Image / Kittyconvict.com
Matthew Inman, webcomic writer and artist of The Oatmeal has come up with a stupidly cute way for people to identify escaped indoor cats. An orange collar.
On a new site called www.kittyconvict.com he shows that only 5 per cent of missing cats are found in contrast to 26 per cent of missing dogs.
People assume that roaming cats are just doing their thing, he writes, whereas a roaming dog is normally identified as lost.
For people who have indoor-only cats, he suggests an orange collar or scarf.
Why orange? "Orange is bright and reflective making it easier to find those furry little samurais when they run away."
But more importantly, "It brands your indoor cat as a convict."
Inman said the idea is to turn lost cats into found cats. That "we have fewer kitty funerals and more kitty birthdays."
"By putting orange collars on your kitties, it signals to the people of the world that your cat belongs inside. People of the world: if you see a cat running around wearing orange, know that they are an escaped convict."
Inman frequently does comics about cats, including the incredibly moving "When your house is burning down, you should brush your teeth."
The Facebook post for Orange is the new cat has reached over 10 million people.
Popularised by TikTok and Love is Blind, experts weigh in on the sticky subject.