One angle of the beast, emphasizing its doggishness.

One angle of the beast, emphasizing its doggishness. (Screenshot: Tumblr)

There are things one can be sure of in this world–the sky is blue, water is wet, Russia is hiring dentally perfect dolphins for military combat.

And then there’s the mysterious undertable dogcat:

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Glowing, feline eyes. Stubby, canine legs. An undeniably dog-shaped head. A conspicuously catlike tail.

Web developer Aster Ryan tweeted the enigmatic gif earlier this morning, along with a poll. “Cat” is currently winning 62/38, which, as we have all learned from this primary season, is way too close to call. Atlas Obscura’s in-house mammal experts are gridlocked, and at least one has cast her lot for “demon.” The Verge also remains divided:

We’re bringing this mystery to the one species we can trust: people. What is this thing, readers? Mail your convictions to cara@atlasobscura.com. This post will be updated with further insights.

Update 11:29 - Astute reader Robert T. Rigler points us to this 2013 YouTube video of the incident, which alleges “cat” (specifically “silly cat”). While this is a pretty solid piece of evidence, we continue to welcome your thoughts.