Lil Bub and Friendz

In the fight between four-legged friends, I'll always choose dogs to be my personal pet.  I had one fatal feline incident, and that was enough to turn me off cats forever.  But, even I'm not immune to cute cat videos.  Whether they're shredding the keyboard, looking grumpy, or just snoring, I've learned if a cat's got a cute face it's the perfect recipe for lots of Youtube hits.

These days though, famous felines are trading in the small screen status in a full length documentary called Lil Bub and Friendz.

Although the documentary follows Lil Bub and owner Mike Bridavsky, it's more than just the story of the world's cutest cat.  Through interviews with other cat celebrities, it explores the broader appeal of internet cats.

Viewers see that as YouTube clips morph into memes, memes translate to million dollar merchandise deals, and the cats become A-list celebrities with their own fan following.

In the film "meme manager" Ben Lasher calls them the new pop culture characters people care abut. “Hello Kitty, Bart Simpson, Mickey Mouse, nobody cares about those old characters anymore,” said Lasher.  “The cats, that’s what the future is.”

If all this cat talk has you in the mood for Lil Bub and Friendz, it's currently showing at the Tribeca Film Festival.  For times and tickets, click here.  Or, watch it now from the comforts of your own home as part of the Tribeca Online Festival.

Happy Cating!