The ten best cat videos of all time

Some cats have been given celebrity-status, such as Grumpy Cat, as their video views started hitting the millions. Photo / Getty Images

People feel more energetic, happy and less stressed after watching a video of a cat - even when they felt guilty about it because they were supposed to be doing something else, a new study reveals.

Researchers recruited 7000 people to assess the emotional effects of watching cat videos.

"Consumption of online cat-related media deserves empirical attention," wrote the paper's author Jessica Gall Myrick.

"As the news accounts suggest, internet users spend a significant amount of time consuming cat-related media, some of that while they are supposed to be doing other tasks like working or studying."

Yep, been there.

"Practically," Myrick writes, "these findings... promote the idea that viewing internet cats may actually function as a form of digital pet therapy and/or stress relief for internet users."

With digital pet therapy in mind, we have compiled our ten favourite cat videos - and as research suggests, there's no need for you to feel bad about it.

Here are our top ten favourite cat videos (in no particular order):

No no no cat

Chillest cat ever: Cat sitting relaxed

Yass kitty yass

Cat drinking water from faucet

Stalking cat

Frankenstein cat

Maru puts a paper bag on his head

Kitten surprise! (How to break up a cat fight)

Henri - the depressed French cat

Cat jump fail

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- nzherald.co.nz