Peking University Students Created a Social Media App For All the Cats on Campus

Students at Peking University have released a WeChat app to keep track of the stray cats around campus. The applet, called Yan Yuan Mao, was created by the Peking University Cat Association.

An interactive list of all the stray cats on the campus of Peking University. Perfect for 云吸猫 pic.twitter.com/M0xJHPmJSI

— Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅 (@ZeyiYang) December 18, 2019

The organization helps feed and find permanent homes for stray cats, and their WeChat program looks a lot like a cat Facebook. Each cat gets their name alongside a photo. Some even include descriptions of favorite foods, recent sightings, and relationships with other cats on campus. If they’ve been adopted, they’re marked “Graduated.”

Cats have been a beloved part of campus life at Peking University. One went viral for sitting on desks during lectures, particularly enjoying those about philosophy and literature.

Sharing the #PekingCampus with us, they sleep, eat, and play freely and happily. They bring the campus to life with merriment and vitality. Who are these elfin creatures? Meet the #Peking University Cats — one of the earliest groups of residents here! •https://t.co/STV87u5dMN pic.twitter.com/vluTkUZBD7

— Peking University (@PKU1898) April 4, 2019

WeChat mini-programs like Yan Yuan Mao are apps within the app, letting users do everything from buy clothes to unlock bikes. Google even launched their own Pictionary-style mini-program in 2018.

Yan Yuan Mao is also part of a growing trend of using tech to help animals. Last year, Baidu built an AI-powered shelter for stray cats.