Pretzel Cat (her real name is Babycat) is the star of a video recently posted on YouTube. This really cute cat is 17 years old and apparently has had an odd drinking posture all her life.

She drinks with one of her hind legs curled up on top of her head while she holds another paw in the water! Hence, this funny cat has acquired the name Pretzel Cat!

This video of her just picked up 60,000 plus YouTube hits (and is rising fast!) in a couple of months.

Why do funny cat videos make us laugh so much? My own opinion is that because cats are considered to be so aloof and graceful, so prim, proper, and regal, then it's really funny when they're caught looking just the opposite! Funny cats are cats doing the opposite of what we expect of them.

When a celebrity trips on the Red Carpet or a politician stumbles as he exits his jet, we find that much funnier than when an "ordinary" friend makes the same clumsy mistake.

That's because we have a preconceived notion that the prominent political figure and the famous celebrity are "in control", above reproach, more sophisticated, more perfect, and less susceptible to mistakes than the common man.

I think the same is true for cats. We see cats differently than we do dogs or other animals. Again, we expect cats to be graceful, regal, aloof and independent (or so we are told) and when we see just the opposite, it is funny.

The video aspect plays a role also. Cats funny pictures, a single image of a cat in a clumsy position, may be funny, but a series of pictures capturing the entire event (a video) is much funnier.

Put the two together (video and a cat doing something uncharacteristic of cats) and you've got ....well, funny cat videos!