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Why do researchers want people to watch cat videos?

Answer: For science and because watching cats is fun, duh.

Two cats sitting on the ground, with the focus on their tails.
If you have two adult cats, a group of scientists wants your help. A team from the University of California, Davis and the University of British Columbia are looking for volunteers to watch cat videos for science.

Participants will be shown a series of 10 videos “showcasing various types of positive and negative cat-cat interactions,” according to the team. They’ll be asked to rate the behaviors in each one on a scale from very positive to very negative. After the videos, the team will survey participants on their own cats’ behavior. All the responses will then be compared to those from trained cat behaviorists holding Ph.D.s.

The goal is to determine how well owners of two cats understand their felines’ behavior. “The welfare of cats in the home is an under-researched area,” study researcher Sherry Khoddami, a student at British Columbia’s Applied Animal Biology Program, told Gizmodo. “Ultimately, we hope this research can help identify gaps in owners’ knowledge of cat behavior. … As people adopt more pets during these hard times, it’s key for shelters, veterinarians and other professionals to give cat owners access to these resources.”