Catdance elevates the cat video to Sundance level

The five short films that were featured went beyond the typical surprised-kitty or cat-threatens-dog fare popular on YouTube. The Catdance films, culled from submissions by cat lovers across the country, told creative, feline-focused tales. There was the story of an aging Internet cat who can't cope with the loss of fame and "A Cat's Guide to Caring for a Human."

"Humans are inherently lazy," reported the latter film in a '50s-inspired instructional style. "Left to their own devices, they will sleep well past the break of dawn."

Other films included "Catalogue," where a couple orders a bedspread from a catalog and is surprised to see that the cat shown in the photo was shipped with the comforter. "Rocky" tells a heartfelt story of a man's 17-year relationship with his cat. In "A Change of Heart," a photo of a cat on a cellphone saves a failing relationship.

Each of the five finalists was awarded a golden cat-litter scoop.

Actress AnnaLynne McCord hosted the event, which was sponsored by the Fresh Step litter brand. The 25-year-old "90210" star is a lifelong cat lover who proudly displayed photos and videos of her cat, Christopher Buni, on her own cell Saturday.

"What's not to love about a cat?" she asked. "Cats have so much personality. They're very highly intelligent creatures, and if you're a highly intelligent creature, you respond to that."

McCord is known for taking her cat to work on set, and once dashed out of her house naked to chase away a coyote who was threatening her kitty companion.