Welcome to the internet! We have bots and people who act like bots.
In all seriousness though, I think that this is just a flaw in the voting system and human behaviour. People like to go with the general concensus instead of thinking for themselves. It feels like people genuinely have difficulty in thinking about things and act as automatons a lot of the time. I also have a suspicion that bots are involved but I don't have any evidence though it does seem to be a theory that has circulated on the internet for some time.
E-girls in uniform have been used to promote the IDF, the US armed forces and now Ukraine's military. I haven't seen rhe Russians do it but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. This is a propaganda tactic. I'm sure OP just thought the cat was cute but it is important to know propaganda when you see it.