Is this cat going up or down stairs? Internet can't agree again

Is this cat going up or down stairs? Internet can't agree again

Forget #dressgate, the Internet is being divided over a new photograph in a debate netizens are calling #catgate.

The greyscale image of a cat standing in the middle of the stairs has split netizens because they cannot agree on the direction that the cat is walking in.


Humour website 9Gag sparked a heated debate when it posted the ambiguous photo on their website, asking netizens if the cat was going up or down the stairs.

With a paw stretched out towards the next step and its tail sticking out, the cat seems to offer no clues as to which way it is travelling.

The photo has since been shared and re-posted in various social media sites and platforms, sparking an online debate similar to the worldwide argument over the white/gold or blue/black dress in February, but no definite consensus has been made.




Some believe the cat is going up the stairs because of the raised ridges and pebbled texture of the steps seen in the photo.

Others say the cat is going down the stairs because its tail is high up in the air, a sign that it is trying to maintain its balance. They also argue that the bright patch seen in front of the cat is a light cast from downstairs.

What do you think?

Regardless of whether the cat is travelling up or down the stairs, at least one conclusion can be made from the #catgate and #dressgate debates of late - that is that the Internet loves optical illusions and cannot seem to get enough of what the white/gold or blue/black dress started.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

 

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