Posts tagged "sockington"

They may not talk IRL (in real life), but pets have plenty to say on the popular social networking site Twitter.

"Anipals," as pets on Twitter are sometimes called, have carved out an entire universe in which they, with a little help from their owners, hold monthly parties to raise money for rescue groups, give shout-outs to ailing animals, trade pictures and chronicle the day-to-day meanderings of their keepers.

Of all the critters on Twitter -- and there are an estimated 69,000 pet profiles -- cats command the largest followings. (Perhaps, as one cat owner told the New York Times' Bits Blog, cats simply have more to say.) Sockington, a Persian cat in Waltham, Mass. remains the most popular non-human on Twitter, with his own blog and more than 1.5 million Twitter followers, more than Wyclef Jean or Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And Romeo the Cat has gotten his army of more than 8,000 followers to give $32,000 to various animal rescue groups.

Dogs, ferrets, birds and other creatures also have a place on Twitter. FrugalDougal, a cairn terrier who lives in England, is the online director of the PawPawty, an international monthly get-together that occurs solely on Twitter to raise money for animal charities. Created by FrugalDougal's owner, Lynn Haigh, the events feature "bark tenders" who mix up special virtual cocktails (flavored milk for the youngsters, adult drinks like Pina Catladas and pawjitos for the older anipals) and anipal "sekurity" to keep out spammers. Attendees are encouraged to donate to a chosen charity. In the first year, the parties raised $25,000.

If you're an avid Twitter user and an animal lover, chances are good that you've come across Twitter's most popular cat, Sockington (Socks, for short). Sockington isn't just the most followed pet actively posting on Twitter, but with over three quarters of a million followers to date, he's one of the most popular users of the service, period.

Sockington's tweets amount to a daily chronicling of life as a housecat, including the familiar feline obsessions with feeding time, litter-box usage, scratching, napping, and running amok for no particular reason. But the Socks Army (Sockington's term for his legions of fans) would likely tell you that it's the inimitably hyperactive style of his tweets that makes following Sockington such a hilarious daily treat. Whether closely watching the Terrible, Terrible Squirrel; sparring with his more erudite sister, Penny (who also maintains a Twitter account); or continuing the ongoing war with favorite toy Baron von Shakymouse, Sockington always has a unique comment to share about the well-known idiosyncrasies of catdom.