15 of the funniest photos from the 2022 Comedy Pet Photo Awards
See the funniest pets in the world.

Winners of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards.
Seven years ago, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards started highlighting some of the funniest photos of the animal kingdom, and after its runaway success, its founders created the Comedy Pet Photo Awards. The goal of the annual competition is to "promote positive awareness of animal welfare issues and celebrate the incredible and valuable contribution that pets can and do have on our lives.”
The competition's organizers, with the help of Animal Friends Pet Insurance, backed up that pledge this year by donating £10,000 ($11,270) each to three separate charities to help improve the lives of pets and promote their work.
Th2 2022 winner is Kenichi Morinaga of Japan with his brilliant photo of two cats sitting on a fence, cheek to cheek—or neck and neck. The photo, entitled "Boom Boom," beat out more than 2,000 entries to win the top prize, £2,000 ($2,250) cash and a £5,000 ($5635) donation from Animal Friends Pet Insurance to go toward the animal welfare or conservation charity of the winner's choice.
Morinaga fell in love with photographing street cats while on a backpacking trip to Europe.
“Suddenly, I became fascinated by the antics of cats out in the streets and had to photograph them,” he said in a statement. “When I returned to Japan, I continued to seek them out, they really cheer me up, especially after the last two years of the pandemic—they are so funny, even when they are doing something serious. This amazing competition reminded me that such gestures from all animals are recognized as being hilarious, cute and heart-warming not only in Japan but all over the world."
Here are 15 of the best photos from the 2022 Comedy Pet Photo Awards.
Winner: Kenichi Morinaga "Boom Boom" (two cats, Japan)
© Kenichi Morinaga/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"Cats are bumped on the wall suddenly. It was like a cartoon. Such a funny moment." — Kenichi Morinaga
Dog Category: Jose Bayon "Nilo's Love for Water" (dog, Spain)
© Jose Bayon/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"Nilo is an adopted puppy about 10 months old. He was hit by a car and was barely saved. Now recovered, he has just discovered water for the first time. His capers and pirouettes show his passion for water. Love at first sight." — Jose Bayon
All Other Creatures: Stefan Brusius "Smokin' Alpaca" (alpaca, Germany)
© Stefan Brusius/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"He looks like he is smoking a cigar." — Stefan Brusius
The Mighty Horse: Radim Filipek "Happy Borses" (mare and foal, Czech Republic)
© Radim Filipek/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"Happy mother and her 3 day old son Monty." — Radim Filipek
People's Choice Award: Marko Jovanovic "Dashing Through the Snow" (dog, U.S.A.)
© Marko Jovanovic/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"Carter was on a Euth list in California. We flew from Chicago to Cali to rescue him. This was his first time experiencing snow. As you can see he could believe was missing out all these years!" — Marko Jovanovic
Junior Category: Freya Sharpe "Jack the Cat Stuck in the Hedge" (cat, U.K.)
© Freya Sharpe/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"We had gone out for the day and came home to find our kitten Jack had got stuck in the hedge!" — Freya Sharpe
Pets Who Look Like Their Owners: Judy Nussenblatt "Dave and Dudley" (dog, U.S.A.)
© Judy Nussenblatt/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"This is my friend, David and his dog Dudley. During the early days of Covid, David and I took advantage of a beautiful day and we were out shooting pictures. Dudley was so excited when we got back that he threw his front paws around David's shoulders and I snapped this picture. They both look like they could use a good haircut, but it was Covid....so who cares." — Judy Nussenblatt
Comedy Pet Team Favorite: Mehmet Aslan "Chauffeur Dog" (dog, Turkey)
© Mehmet Aslan/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"This is what I saw when I stopped at the traffic lights. At first I thought the dog was really driving!" — Mehmet Aslan
Highly Commended: Beth Noble "OMG What Is That?" (cat, U.K.)
© Beth Noble/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"CK shows his surprised face." — Beth Noble
Highly Commended: Christopher Johnson "Revenge of the Tennis Ball" (dog, U.K.)
© Christopher Johnson/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"This is Star playing in the snow in a local field and getting surprised by a passing tennis ball." — Christopher Johnson
Highly Commended: Jonathan Casey "Grandmistress Candy" (cat, U.K.)
© Jonathan Casey/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"My tabby cat Candy is ranked East Anglia #1. — Jonathan Casey
Highly Commended: Karl Goldhamer "Werewolf 2.0" (dog, Germany)
© Karl Goldhamer/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"Even a werewolf needs to relax sometimes." — Karl Goldhamer
Highly Commended: Kazutoshi Ono "Too Desperate" (cat, Japan)
© Kazutoshi Ono/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"She is my lovely kitty that is rescued from my local cat care facility. This is just a door that continued to a corridor. Sometimes she jumps up and holds a door when she is too desperate to go out." — Kazutoshi Ono
Highly Commended: Kenichi Morinaga "Now, How Do I Upload My Pics?" (cat, Japan)
© Kenichi Morinaga/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"I gotta smartphone so I want to upload my pics for my SNS. But I don't know how to use it. Please someone tell me how to use it." — Kenichi Morinaga
Highly Commended: Lucy Sellors-Duval "Mine, Not Yours" (dogs, U.K.)
© Lucy Sellors-Duval/Animal Friends Comedy Pets
"Benji was determined to be the one to get all the yummy treats during his photo shoot even if it meant stopping his older brother Doug." — Lucy Sellors-Duval
This article originally appeared on 9.22.22
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."