It's no secret: Cats rule the Internet. They dominate our precious viewing time on both YouTube and the photo-sharing app Instagram. But it appears the Internet isn't enough for them.

Now they want to become us. Or maybe we want to become them? Thanks to the latest Internet craze — called "cat bearding" — it's hard to tell.

What is cat bearding? BuzzFeed simply called it "that thing where your cat is also your beard." Obviously, this is a purposeless endeavor (such is the case with cat memes). The images hit the Internet like a comet last week. BuzzFeed named its top 25. Mashable chimed in with its 10 best.

Minnesota is, of course, a hotbed for cat people. After all, it is home to the world's first Internet Cat Video Film Festival.

With that in mind, we asked our Instagram followers to post their best cat beards under the hashtag #STcat. The response was cat-errific (sorry, had to do it). Here are our top picks, with each person's Instagram handle.

Think you can do better or simply want to contribute to the craze? Post your cat beard to Instagram with the aforementioned hashtag. But beware: Cat bearding is hard (like herding cats). Some Instagramers almost put kitty in a choke hold to get a good shot. Others gently held their feline friend by the scruff. Best case scenario: Your frisky cat will nuzzle up below your chin for the purr-fect photo. You can view the Star Tribune's Instagram account by searching @startribune. If you haven't signed up for the mobile app, check out the desktop version at www.instagram.com/startribune.