Two Facebook "Facebragging" Addicts Hospitalized After Intervention Fails

Seattle, WA

Two cats have been hospitalized in the psychiatric ward at Harborview Hospital this evening after an intervention to pull them off their Facebook pages failed.

Hester, an 11-month-old, spayed, Domestic Short hair began using Facebook, the popular social networking site, just three months ago.

It was on Facebook that she located and “friended” Evelyn, a 2-year-old, spayed, Domestic Short Hair who she‘d known at UCLA.

Many cats and kittens are now using Facebook so often that it has become more of an obsession than a sometime social networking tool, and psychologists are starting to agree.


Hester’s husband said she changed her profile picture almost daily

When Hester and Evelyn found each other on Facebook, their behavior became compulsive and addictive, each cat trying to outdo the other in what has become known as “Facebragging.”

“Facebragging” is said to include constantly changing profile photos to appear more glamorous and adding messages to let the entire world know they got a raise, ran a marathon in 2 hours flat, got a new car, or something else possibly not even true to up their social status and one-up their “friends.”

“All of a sudden Hester was on the computer every day,” said husband Raif, a 2-year-old, neutered, Domestic Short Hair. “She was changing her profile image constantly, changing outfits and becoming obsessed with letting everyone know exactly what she was doing in her life.”



Evelyn and Hester both admitted to making up fake profiles just to leave compliments to themselves on their own profiles

Frequent Facebook visits cause something psychologists refer to as intermittent reinforcement. There have been reports of cats dying at the keyboard for lack of eating and drinking, lest they miss a comment or post.

One cat repeatedly posted her every accomplishment and told everyone where exactly she was going and why. Some cats post their salaries, brag about trips, and even stage photos so that certain prized items they own might be 'accidentally caught' in the background.

Notifications, emails, messages and invites to be a “friend” reward cats with an unpredictable high, much like that incurred during gambling. Such anticipation can become dangerously addictive.

The cats spent hour after hour on their Facebook pages, searching each others’ photos and comments, seemingly competing in a contest entirely existing within the walls of their insane minds.

“All I know is that the Evelyn I know vanished,” said friend Jingles, a 7-year-old, spayed, Manx from Auburn. “She just sat around the computer, waiting for someone, somewhere out there, to say anything. She would post that she was going shopping at Nordstrom's for Christ's sake.”


Reports say cats have died waiting for that ‘one great message’

Families of both cats staged interventions last week and told the cats how they felt about their Facebook usage.

Although the intervention failed, family members said the cats admitted to concealing their Facebook use, having thoughts about what to put up next on Facebook while offline, or admitted to having used Facebook to escape problems.

Doctors for the cats notified psychiatrists, who were sent to the cats’ homes and escorted them to the Harborview Psychiatric ward for treatment.

The cats were allowed to update their Facebook pages before admission.

Copyright Sharyn Thoma
Photos: Random