Shoulder cats are a phenomenon much celebrated by self-confessed ‘cat people.’ It turns out that some cattos find the left or right, or both, shoulders of their owners the comfiest place to sit and look at the weird human world from above. Although it’s hard to precisely pinpoint when the term first emerged, the shoulder cat trend has recently taken over Reddit and other social media channels.
And while shoulder cat pics are taking over the internet, a big question has come up and it’s whether other animals on the shoulder count too. Because I mean, guys, is it really fair for cats to steal the entire spotlight for themselves? While this question remains purely philosophical, owners of different pets have now joined the ‘shoulder cat and not exclusively cat’ trend, sharing the cutest snaps of their furry friends on their shoulders.
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So let’s see what this whole thing is all about and before someone asks, non-animals don’t count, so there’s no point trying to pull off the shoulder teddy bear for the challenge. Or maybe?…
#1 Does Shoulder Duck Make The Cut?
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#2 I Don’t Have A Cat, So I Present My Shoulder Bun!
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#3 My Shoulder Buddy
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To find out just why exactly some cats are really into shoulder perching, Bored Panda reached out to Molly DeVoss, a certified feline training & behavior specialist, who runs Cat Behavior Solutions consulting agency. Molly told us that cats like to be in high places and close to the scent of their owners, so “shoulder perching is a natural behavior that accomplishes both.”
Meanwhile, if it seems that for your cat, shoulder sitting is the last thing they wanna do, it may be because “the cat doesn’t feel safe or stable on their owners’ shoulders.”
But the good news is that you can train a cat to do just anything it wants to do, says Molly. “If your cat likes to climb up on you, simply encourage and reinforce that behavior with treats, and the cat will do it more often.” You can also lure your cat up onto your shoulder with treats.
#4 Hope We Are Not Too Late
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#5 Shoulder Cat Or Cyclops?
#6 Hopefully Shoulder Kittens Count
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Usually it’s young kittens that climb on their owners and sit up there, enjoying the sense of security there. As cats grow older, they get less agile and more cumbersome, thus making the internet’s favorite ‘shoulder catting’ trick harder with age.
But perching on the owner’s shoulder isn’t a behavior that’s exclusive to cats. Birds and other small pets do it, and they’re usually easily trainable.
#7 What About A Mouse?
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#8 Behold The Glorious Whiskers Of Shoulder Cat
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#9 Oh Hi There, I Was Told That Shoulder Cats Are Trending Today
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#10 Heard You Like Shoulder Cats. This Is A…..pygmy Tree Cat
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#11 We Raised A Shoulder Cat
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#12 Shoulder Animals Seem To Be Pretty Popular Nowadays. So Here’s A Shoulder Crow!
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#13 I See Your Shoulder Cats. I Raise You Crown Cat
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#14 My Shoulder Monster At 10 Months
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#15 I Give You, Azu, The Shoulder Snek
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#16 My Shoulder Cat Isn’t Nearly As Cute As Everyone Else’s
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#17 Does Shoulder Chicken Make The Cut?
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#18 Hope I’m Not Late For The Cat On Shoulder
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#19 Within 2 Seconds Of Meeting The Cat I Was Adopting, She Climbed Onto My Shoulders
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#20 I See Your Shoulder Cats, Is It Too Late For A Shoulder Baby Opossum?
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#21 I See Your Shoulder Cat And Raise You A Beard Kitten
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#22 Do Shoulder Horses Count? She’s Always Hanging Her Head Over My Neck Waiting For Scratches
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#23 I Have My Shoulder Mounted Barkzooka Locked And Loaded!
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#24 My Dreams Of Having A Shoulder Cat Have Come True
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#25 She Was Purrty Proud Of My Accomplishment
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#26 He Always Climbs For A Hug After His Naps. Closest I Can Get To A Shoulder Cat
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#27 I See Your Baby Possums, Duck & Cats On Shoulders And Raise You An Albino Ferret
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#28 Hope I’m Not Too Late To Raise You A Second Shoulder Cat
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#29 Silence Human, I’m Looking At Shoulder Cats
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#30 Jumbo Shoulder Dog
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#31 Shoulder Cats? Nah, How About Shoulder Bear?
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#32 Do These Count As Shoulder Animals?
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#33 I Give You Shoulder Bun
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#34 I See We Are Doing Shoulder Cats Today?
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#35 Am I Too Late? Fern, The Sweetest Opossum!
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#36 Do Shoulder Raccoons Count? Courtesy Of My Sister
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#37 Do Shoulder Squirrels Count?
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#38 Shoulder Cat In Process
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#39 He Found My Wife’s Hood. I Think He Likes It
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#40 My Partner Would Like To Know If We’re Still Doing Shoulder Cats?
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#41 Head And Shoulder Cat
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#42 The Elusive Shoulder Fox!
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#43 Shoulder Birb
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#44 Big Dogs Can Be Shoulder Dogs Too. Meet Ruka
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#45 Too Fat To Shoulder Cat
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#46 My Brother’s Shoulder Was The Safest Place At The Vet
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#47 Shoulder Nugget (And A Lap Full Of Beans)
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#48 I Thought My Little Shoulder Protector Should Get A Turn Too!!
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#49 Shoulder Cat Will Be Fun, They Said
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#50 Kinda Late To The Party, But Shoulder Cat In Elevator
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#51 What About A Shoulder Mule ?
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#52 Shoulder Dane Anyone?
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#53 Does A Rottweiler Puppy Count
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#54 A Teeny Weeny Shoulder Kitten (Another Reason To Love My Job)
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#55 You’ve Heard Of Shoulder Cat, Now Get Ready For Shoulder Fennec Fox!
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#56 I Was Told This Community Would Like To See This Pic But Now I See Why!! Everyone’s Posting Their Adorable Shoulder Cats!! Hope I’m Not Too Late To The Party
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#57 What About A Maine Coon Hat?
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#58 I See Your One Shoulder Cat And Raise
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#59 My Shoulder Cat Is Broken And Says Woof
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#60 Sleeping Shoulder Magpie Baby
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#61 I See Your Shoulder Cat And Raise You A Shoulder Chick. Sound On To Hear Her Happy Cooing
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#62 I See Your Shoulder Baby Opossum And I Raise You To A Shoulder Bearded Dragon!
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#63 Does A Shoulder Hedgehog Count?
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#64 How About Shoulder Sugar Gliders?
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#65 Ok But What About A Shoulder Hamster
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#66 Do Chinchillas Count Too?
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#67 Are We Too Late To Join The Party?
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#68 I See Your Shoulder Cats, Your Turkeys, Your Gerbils… I Raise You A Dragon
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#69 Ashby Got Me Through Back Surgery
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#70 I Hereby Raise You, The Shoulder Rescue Marmoset
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#71 My Shoulder Cat, Lily, Is Using My Shoulders As If I’m Getting Paid To Be A 24/7 Cat Hanger
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#72 How About A Shoulder Baby Bunny?
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#73 I Heard Y’all Like Cats On Shoulders…
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#74 I Take Your Shoulder Cats And Raise You A Shoulder Bunny
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#75 I Don’t Have A Cat But This Might Work. Shoulder… Snek
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#76 Shoulder Guinea Pig Providing Great Advice
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#77 I See Your Shoulder Cat And Raise You A Shoulder Rooster
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#78 Training My New Kitty To Be A Shoulder Cat! 5 Months Old
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#79 The Best Thing About Fostering Is Getting To Experience Cats With Wildly Different Personalities Like Our New Shoulder Cat Cleo!
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#80 Found This One Lost In A Market, He Likes To Eat, Pee And Sit At My Shoulder, All At The Same Time
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#81 I Have An Aggressively Affectionate Cat
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#82 I Work On A Farm. Meet My Work Shoulder Cat, James
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#83 This Shoulder Cat Is Giving And Receiving Special Boops
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#84 I Submit A Shoulder Cow For Your Approval
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#85 Seeing All The Shoulder Pets, Thought I’d Add My Shoulder Dog
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#86 Dual Wielding
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#87 Since We’re Doing Shoulder Cats, I Raise You My Double Shoulder Kittens
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#88 I See Your Shoulder Cat…..
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#89 Shoulder Pig Anyone? (This Is What He Does When I Won’t Let Him In My Lap)
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#90 We Hope Is Not To Late
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#91 Does My Weird Fuzzy Snake Make The Cut?
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#92 I Heard Shoulder Kittens Are Super In Right Now
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#93 Is It Okay If One Rides On My Shoulder While The Other Rides On My Head?
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#94 When He Was Small Enough To Be My Shoulder Buddy
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#95 After 4 Years Mary Finally Decided It Was Time To Become A Shoulder Kitty
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#96 Super Shoulder Kitty
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#97 Is This Still A Thing? I Hope Im Not Late. Meet Milo And Peanut, My 2 Little Oinkies
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#98 Shoulder Coatimundi?
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#99 I, Too, Would Like To Share A Possum-On-My-Shoulder Pic
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#100 I See Your Shoulder Cats And Raise You A Shoulder Gerbil
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#101 They’re Good Scarfs Bront
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#102 How About A Shoulder Dog Scared Of A Little Thunder?
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#103 I Too Have A Shoulder Kitten. We’re Not Very Good At Selfies Yet
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#104 I See Your Shoulder Cat Photos. Do A Couple Of Shoulder Ferrets Count?
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#105 I Call Your Shoulder Cat And Raise You Two Shoulder Tiggers
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#106 Shoulder Bëëbs
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#107 Shoulder Tiny Trash Panda
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#108 It’s Not Too Late To Join In All The Fun Is It? I Present To You All, A Shoulder Corgi Pup!
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#109 Smiling Shoulder Cat?
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#110 Here’s My Shoulder Cat. I Hope I’m Not Too Late
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#111 Scarf Cat Is Having A Great Time, I Swear
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#112 Heard You Guys Liked Cute Animals On Shoulders, Here’s Me Riding My Bike In Serbia With My Cat On My Shoulders
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#113 I’ve Heard We Do Shoulder Cats… Meet Crosseyed Shoulder Cat And My Dad
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#114 I Offer You A Shoulder Guinea Pig In This Trying Time
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#115 Shoulder Cat With A Twist, Theo Is Also A Part Time Hairdresser
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#116 My Shoulder Cat
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#117 Double Trouble- A Shoulder Cat & A Lap Cat!
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#118 Since We’re Shouldering Animals, Say Hi To Dawn!
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#119 I Said Shoulder, But She Wouldn’t Listen
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#120 Shoulder Dog That Acts Like A Cat, So It Counts
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#121 My Shoulder Cat Gringo, He Lives At The Vet Clinic Where I Work (Vet) And Helps Keep Our Spirits Up!
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#122 I See Your Shoulder Animals, And I Raise You With This Sweet Baby Opossum
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#123 We Still Doing Shoulder Animals? When He Was Small He Would Sit Like This In The Car
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#124 I See Your Shoulder Cats, And Raise You Two
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#125 Double Trouble
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#126 This Is My Rescue, Charlie, And She Loves Trips On My Shoulder… Mr. Mom To A Cat That Thinks It’s A Parrot
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#127 Are We Too Late For A 60lb Shoulder Dog?
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#128 For Your Shoulder Cat Consideration, This Is Old Man Wilson
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#129 My Half-Blind Shoulder Son
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#130 My Parents New Puppy Enjoys Sleeping Like This, Especially While Driving
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#131 Scary Shoulder Cat Lmao
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#132 Too Lazy To Be A Shoulder Cat
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#133 Peggy Sue Said She’s Sorry She’s Late To The Party
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#134 Shoulder Cat In One Of Cairo’s Busses
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#135 Shoulder Cat! (Sorry About The Human)
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#136 Does A Leopard Gecko On My Shoulder Count?
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#137 How About A Shoulder Doodle?
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#138 I Heard We Were Posting Shoulder Cats (My Fiancé And Our Baby Tormund)
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#139 One Heavy Pit Unsure Of Why She’s On My Shoulder, Checking In
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#140 Hear Me Out … Shoulder Cat And Matching Shirts ?
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#141 Soldier Cats
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#142 Are We Still Doing Shoulder Animals?
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#143 My Friend Charlie Chaplin
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#144 How About A Shoulder Chicken? She Just Flew Right Up There And Scared The Heck Out Of Me!
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#145 Does Shoulder Guinea-Fowl Count?
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#146 They May Not Be Cats, But They’re Still Good Shoulder Boys! Happy International Bird Day!
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#147 This Lady In My Neighborhood That Walks Around With Her Cat On Her Shoulder
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#148 Here’s My Toothless One-Eyed Shoulder Cat
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#149 This Shoulder Cat Aww
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#150 My Blind 16 Yr Old Cat Has A Very Special Relationship With My Boyfriend And Managed To Climb On His Shoulders Where She Needed A Helping Hand To Get Down
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#151 This Is “Nermal” The Foster Cat That Adopted Me And Rides On My Shoulder
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#152 Meet Thunder, The Cat I Took From The Streets A Few Days Ago. He Wouldn’t Even Let Me Touch Him Back Then, But Today His Favourite Place To Chill Is My Shoulder
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#153 My Cat’s Kitten Climbed Up My Shoulder, Buried Her Head Into My Hair And Fell Asleep. My Shoulders Are Stiff But It’s A Small Price To Pay
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#154 I See Your Shoulder Cats And Raise You A Shoulder Bunny. Crash Landed There And Knocked My Glasses Off After Scrambling With His Gremlin Claws Up My Back
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#155 Not My Shoulder Cat, But The Friendly Neighborhood Shoulder Cat That Visits Us Randomly
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#156 My Shoulder Cat Puts His Butt On My Head
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#157 I Heard Something About “Shoulder Cats”?
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#158 My Vet Has A Shoulder Cat And I Love It. Meet Tonks
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#159 Parents New Cat Likes To Climb On My Shoulders And Play With My Ears
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#160 My New Kitty Max! The Cat Carrier Is Still A Little Scary For Him. So He Climbed Up My Shoulder And Spent The Ride Home Sleeping There
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#161 Whenever She Rides With Me. She Will Break Out Of Her Cat Cage And Sit On My Shoulders
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#162 Meet Blue, The Shoulder Cat. He Had To Have All His Teeth Removed Except For His Canines. He’s Pretty Swell
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#163 Everyone Should Have A Shoulder Cat.
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#164 Alaska Here Loves To Hang Out On Your Shoulder
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#165 My First Time Today Experiencing A Shoulder Cat. I’ve Peaked In Life
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#166 What Do Y’all Think About Dogs Who Think They’re Cats?
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#167 My Roommates Cat Fell Asleep On Her Shoulder
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#168 A Dark-Haired Man Wearing A Plaid Shirt Stares Directly Into The Camera With A Kitty Cat On His Left Shoulder
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#169 Leaves Loves Being A Shoulder Cat
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#170 I See Your Shoulder Cat Pic And Double It
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#171 I Don’t Have A Shoulder Cat, However, Here Is A Shoulder Horse
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#172 I Heard We Were Posting Our Animals That Love Shoulders
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#173 Me With My Perfectly Normal Shoulder Cat
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#174 Shoulder Caaaat
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#175 The Citty I Found In Street And Me
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#176 Shoulder Kitten
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