18 times cats proved to be ‘purr-fect’ research assistants

Writing a well-researched and concise academic paper isn’t easy – which is why we need all the help we can get! As can be seen through the #AcademicsWithCats hashtag, it’s clear that cats in particular love to help their owners out when it’s crunch time. Whether or not they actually succeed in doing so is another matter altogether.

Here are 18 reasons why cats make the best research assistants!

1. Even in the age of the internet and social media, many cats still insist on being thorough and going through traditional sources of information, like newspapers. Or more like, rolling through…

Image via @BSUECONOMICS/Twitter

2. They’ll make sure you stay “on top” of your reading list…

Image via @Becca_emma_lou/Twitter

3. They’re quite the neat freaks, so they’ll keep your documents in order…

Image via @HollyBell8/Twitter

4. Cats make wonderful lap warmers/laptop stands…

Image via @margiehousley/Twitter

5. Or wrist warmers… You know, for the carpal tunnel.

Image via @CRichardsPsych/Twitter

6. They also come in handy as paperweights!

Image via @QueeringEDU/Twitter

7. They’ll check whether you’ve put in the right citations: “STOP. You just cited to wrong source there, buddy.”

Image via @Sollenbum/Twitter

8. They’ll keep a close eye on you to make sure you stay focused on the task at hand…

Image via @JDWilsey/Twitter

9. And not get distracted…

Image via @karen_leslie/Twitter

10. “Hmmm. I don’t think Facebook counts as research.”

Image via @suzezij/Twitter

11. If you have to burn the midnight oil to meet your deadline, they’ll keep you company…

Image via @HelenAbbott1/Twitter

12. And aren’t the type to fall asleep on the job. (Oh wait … oops.)

Image via @catsofacademia/Twitter

13. They’re more than happy to help you proof your first draft…

Image via @Kreml/Twitter

14. And will be honest with their comments on your work.

Image via @SuetterlinKatz/Twitter

15. Brutally honest, even.

Image via @SuetterlinKatz/Twitter

16. But cats are far from “all work and no play” – they’ll remind you to take a break once in a while…

Image via @klugman/Twitter

17. Be it to feed them…

Image via @DustExResearch/Twitter

18. Or to just smell the flowers.

Image via @LisaDorn/Twitter

Academia Obscura, the masterminds behind #AcademicsWithCats, also recently announced the winners of the third annual “Academics with Cats Awards” – you can check out the winning cats and their owners on the site!

Image via @womensworkexe/Twitter

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