There's a phenomenon sweeping the internet. It's called cat circles and you need to hear about it right now.
See, it turns out cats, despite all their sneaky ways, are actually pretty easy to fool.
Reddit users have recently discovered that you can trap your cat... WITH A CIRCLE on the floor.
Hundreds of web users are now posting their own pictures of circle-loving cats - but the phenomenon has left vets and pet specialists stumped.
In the video above, cat lover and photographer guermike has shown exactly how the cat circle works.
Here's a step by step guide of how to trick your cat. Film it and then send us the video and your cat may appear on Mirror Online!
Send your video clips via the form at the bottom of this article or tweet your Vines and Instavideos @YourMirror with the hashtag #catcircles.
Acquiring a cat is easy, getting it to do literally anything besides exist and eat is difficult. This week, however, a powerful new spell was revealed to the Internet that can be used to control these mercurial feline beings inhabiting our homes: the cat circle. This all-powerful enchantment was first revealed by the blogger guremike, after his cat (a rare male calico) accidentally cast it on himself using a looped electrical wire. Then, as you can see from the photo at top, guremike learned how to recreate the spell himself using simple tape.
The formula for the spell is as simple as it is powerful: form a circle on the floor (tape is recommended, but pretty much anything works) and wait. Eventually your cat will enter it. The cat will then be trapped by the magic of the circle, giving you extended, blissful periods of not having to worry whether your cat is knocking stuff off high shelves.
This phenomenon has blown up so quickly that it already has its own subreddit, r/catcircles, with all the best hits of the genre and advice for newbies.
If you've spent hours patiently trying to teach your puss to perform tricks then the latest online pet craze could be one for you.
Cat Circles, where cats are drawn to a makeshift circle, sit down in the middle of it and then refuse to move, are being recreated all over the world by plain old moggies who seemingly can't pass by a circle without being irresistibly drawn to it.
Hundreds of web users, mainly on Reddit and Imgur, are posting pictures of their successful feats, while vets and pet psychologists remain stumped.
Now, gorgeous photographs by cat lover and photographer guermike show exactly how you can try it out at home, step by step.
Vets are perplexed. No study has truly explained why cats are drawn to circles. But some are willing to give their twopence on the matter
Head of cats at Animal Charity Wood Green, Juliette Jones, is a cat behaviourist and consultant.
She has provided a comment based on her knowledge of cat behaviour and evolution rather than empirical evidence.
'One very generalised assumption you could make to explain this type of behaviour could be that it's driven by a cat's need to hide,' she tells MailOnline.
'If you draw a circle in an otherwise fairly barren environment, it will give the cat a form of a perceived barrier around them, which will make them feel safer than if they were sitting on a vast expanse of floor.
'However, this type of behaviour needs to be scientifically studied, in a controlled environment, to see if the majority of cats would behave this way.'
Perhaps it's time academics study the cats in a circle quirk.
But it seems while scientists focus on other matters it's the cat lovers of the web who are taking it upon themselves to collectively perform a research on cat behavioral psychology using low-tech traps on their feline friends.
All of us, and our cats, can join in. Can you create your own cat circle? Remember - it's down to the cat's own free will. And if you master the 'trap' - how long before your cat moves
The cute cat above wonders– “how did I get trapped into this circle?” Easy, his owner uncovered the 3 simple steps to tricking any cat!
Cats never want to do what you say, they have their own agendas to live by. But there is one way you can trick your cat into doing what you want. On Reddit it’s being called “Trick Your Cat With A Circle,” and entitles simply crafting a circle out of thick tape, or anything else, and waiting for your kitty to come prowling on over.
It might seem odd or silly, but cat owners everywhere are finding that their cat falls for the circle trick every time. So thanks to Internet via social media cat lovers have been conducting a little psychology test on cats, sans any fancy lab.
It started with a few people and then grew, all of which note the same cat behavior. Simply set up a circle and kitty cats will come. You can bust out the masking tape and call out your own furry cat to try this experiment for yourself. Here’s how to trap your cat in 3 simple steps!
Have you ever noticed how much cats enjoy a nice snug space to settle in? They like to hide under beds and beneath sofas, places most humans feel downright claustrophobic hanging out. That’s because cats find comfort in tight crevices, here they feel hidden, safe to take as long of a cat nap as they desire. Perhaps this cat psychology is what makes the cat trapping trick so successful.
After guremike.jp posted these photos of his cat loving the circle life, many others have followed suit. The results are the same time and time again– both kittens and cats can be trapped by the appeal of a circle.
One Imgur page titled “Cat Circles” holds an abundance of photographs showing off cats from all over the globe, each one enjoying some good old circle time. As more and more cat owners embark on the fun, photos are continually added highlighting the success of this seemingly fail-proof cat trick. Here are some of the hilarious photos