Ye olde lolcats! Roller-skating felines and tea-making moggies - even in the 1870s we were obsessed with taking bizarre photos of our pets

Cat lovers seem to like taking photos of their pets doing ridiculous things.

From images of them in swimming goggles and sunglasses, posing behind the wheels of cars, to their many weird and wonderful expressions - we can't get enough of comedy cats.



But photos have emerged which show that even in the 1870s humans loved nothing more than snapping their four-legged friends in all sorts of bizarre poses.

Two young cats resting on an old leather boot and right, four kittens snuggle up in a basket



A moggy lies resplendent in a pram while two other cats pose adoringly in a wicker basket Among his charming collection - known as The Brighton Cats - are cats riding a tricycle, roller-skating and even a cat taking a photograph with a camera. The public began to embrace his images and he began to add small captions, such as 'A Happy New Year', or 'Very Many Happy Returns of the Day' with people buying them to send as tiny greetings cards.

'Miss Tabbie at the Rink' in a perfectly up-right pose roller-skating, while right, these cats fancied a brew

This moggy is seems to be taking a photograph while three others pose on a table with an empty plate Oxfordshire-born Mr Pointer arrived in Brighton in 1858 after spending almost 20 years in London as a soldier in the Life Guards, Sussex Photo History, said.

When he first moved to the seaside town he worked as a Military Drill Instructor but from 1866 until his death in 1889 he was a professional photographer based at his studio in Bloomsbury Place.

Adorable white cats pose in a basket while two others sit atop a watering can



Another cat sits in a pudding bowl while right, a cat is pictured riding a tricycle with remarkable ease



It was only in 1870 that Harry Pointer began photographing them in all sorts of amusing places and situations



