By Vurdlak on June 19, 2010, with 468 Comments
Spinning Girl optical illusion was the one responsible for skyrocketing our traffic back in the old days. Then we have received Spinning Man version. Unfortunately that one didn’t gain as much attention, I hoped it would. Let’s see if spinning some cats helps. User called Pech Misfortune (oh, the irony) created this animated gif using ImageReady in addition with 3D Studio Max. The illusions is simple – all you have to do is see the cat rotate in both directions. At first you may think it’s impossible, but after some practice you’ll soon be able to switch the direction with each round. I’m also interested to hear your comments about the original direction you saw the cat spin at? When I first saw this, it appeared to move clockwise. Now each time I see it – it’s just the opposite (concentrate on it’s tale to switch).
(108 votes)
it was hard at first but now i can change it easily every two seconds!!
i can change with the spinning girl one faster than I can blink, but having trouble with the kitty. :( strange.
At first I saw it going anti clockwise, and then I blinked at the right time and it turned clockwise… now I can’t change it back :(
i get get it to turn in a different direction, its annoying, but ill just keep trying right?
I found it makes it easier to use you periphereal (spell check) vision while trying to make it spin the opposite direction.
“Focusing in the corner of your eye” certainly helps. =)
i’ve managed to get it to turn, i find it easier if you focus on the top corner of the screen then change to the other corner when the cat is just about to be sideways… FUN :)
it’s only going right!
Truly amazing. Can change the direction of the spin by looking away for a split second. Best illusion EVER!
I’ve seen this before with a ballerina instead of a cat…way harder to switch this way! o.O Wonder why…
At first I saw it turning to the left, then i looked up to read the paragraph and when I looked back down and it was spinning the other way :0
Im pretty sure this is fake, the brain perceives nothing, this is just one big and powerful .gif image, i recorded this picture on video and the video showed that it actually does switch, but my cellphone does not have a brain [shocked faces] so how can you explain this?
I have had multiple people in the same room watching this gif and we all saw it going different directions. Some saw clockwise, some counter-clockwise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conspiracy_theories
Turn your head to the left and look at it through the corner of your eye. it works every time!
Wauw this is cool! Tip if you walk by your computer it will switch! :D
i made the tail and the body spin in different direcctions WTF?
I think i know how this works!!!
If you see the cat is spinning right direction, you are been cheated. I bet that the cat is spinned in left direction.
The only way I can seem to get it to switch is by looking at the last few lines of the paragraph directly above the image.
If I have my eyes follow the lines the right way (from left to right) the cat spins that way, if I have my eyes follow the lines backwards, the cat switches direction.
No matter what I try, it doesnt switch.
htf are you people doing that? I’m jealous.
Sometimes it looks as if it’s going back and forth instead of around in a circle.
try putting your finger in between your eyes while looking at the cat then slowly look at your finger it should change direction. :) enjoy.
Hey this illusion is a great lie…U turn it urself after every 2 minutes i guess
Hahah! Made it go right, then left, and now it’s stuck…it looks like it has it’s back facing the viewer and doing some kind of dance D:
I couldnt get it at first but i fin looking above your computer and imagining it turning the opposite way helps
All you people that say it’s fake, ur dumb, sorry but you are. It took me some time, first I saw it only going right, now i can change the direction any second, minute, hour, whatever, it’s fun you can actually feel your brains change or something haha ^^
This is so cool! My favorite optical illusion so far… the first time i saw it, it was turning clockwise… and i don’t know how to change it. but it works!
This is the first time I have seen your website and have been paging through for a few hours. By far, this cat illusion is the best. I am able to “make” the cat turn a half or even quarter turn and then back again, so that it appears to never even make the full circle. Amazing!!!
This is insanity what does a spinning cat have to do with anything?????????
i cant change it back again?!
wow this is simply amazing. i think i broke it though, so hard to see it fully spin around.
wow awsoem!!!!
here’s a hint. try picture the cat facing you and not it’s back
This is just creepy it goes clockwise then anti-clockwise and then its paws go up and down and it also walk from left to right now my eyes are hurting !! xx
yipiiiiiee…. I finally got it after trying hard.. n now I can switch it easly… the power of eyes…
I DONT GET THIS!!! NONE OF THE IDEAS WORK!!! :(
help. :< (sniff)
WOW!! FINALLY! I GET IT! what i do is i put my “hand” (mouse) above and 2 the right of the cats head. then i stare at the “hand” until the cat is facing it. the second it is, i look at the cat and suddenly its spinning the other way! WIERD! SEIRIOUSLY, HOW DOES IT DO THAT?!
I didn’t believe it was possible – I thought the whole thing was BS…but it hit me. It took me ages but it hit me. I don’t know if this will help anyone else who can’t see it, but what I did was focus on the forelegs, and when I saw them coming towards me I told myself they were going away. I did this over and over again, and it took a while, but at some point it happens, and they actually do go in the direction opposite to what you first perceived.
i made it go both ways look at the tale to make it go the opposite way then look at the ears to make it go back
awesum i can nw change the direction of cat both the side
if u see the cat double the other cat is red
I figured it out! for all y’all who are like…dahfuq? look to the corner of you eye once then look back…you’re so very welcome! see if you can make it do the thriller dance! (like go halfway let then switch and spin halfway right…then again….and again….)
This is kinda cool
to me it is spinning to the left when i first even saw it cant make it turn right i only did once when i wasnt even looking at the pic butt out the corner of my eye??? why is that??
Whoa weirdness!
I was like woah?! when I was focusing on the cat’s
head and it spun backwards
when opened with photoshop at frame 10 everything gets all wrong… i just can’t make up my brain if its with back on me or with the face… because at frame 10 till frame 20 every pose can be back or face at the same time… great illusion!
Amazing! I was getting very fustrated as I could only see it going anti-clockwise and even when I tried all the tricks to get it to switch, it wasn’t working! But I tried the corner of your eyes again and managed to get it going clockwise! I find it hard to switch but then once it has I find it hard to imagine going the other way! brilliant
This one is easy; in fact, I can see the cat actually pivoting back and forth, left to right to left, and not turning around at all!
The first time I looked at this one, I was able to change it at will instantly–in fact, I managed to keep it ping-ponging back and forth with only its back to me for over three minutes before it snuck in a paws-forward revolution. It was never that easy with the girl.
Try looking at it crosseyed. I can control it switching back and forth…
its like ping pong but theyv crated it to move its an good alson but not that goood to be quit onist ……
I have to turn my head from.side to side while closing left eyr when turning.left and right turning right..