I haven't read any responses on this thread, but here's my general view.....
First, there are plenty of liberal conspiracy theorists. "Crazy" isn't limited to one political party.
Second, we shouldn't label simply believing things that are simply wrong as conspiracy theorizing. The "they're eating the cats" isn't a conspiracy theory. It's the result of laziness. People see a headline, a meme on Twitter, hear the (lying) President speak and just don't take the time to verify anything. Being lazy is easy. With a little effort, one could get the real story about the lady eating a cat in Springfield.
So, on to why Republicans, today, are so susceptible to conspiracy theories?
I think it's almost entirely because of the media sources they consume and believe.
The "MSM" has done itself no favors with the way they've covered Trump, with the liberal bias they put on news stories and terrible progressive ideas they've supported. Not all MSM outlets are equally guilty. For example, CBS
suspended a reporter because of his reporting of the Paul Pelosi home break-in. That reporter eventually quit the network. Because of the flaws/dishonesty of the MSM, many on the Right have turned away from MSM to "alternate" outlets for their news. YouTube shows, Facebook memes, Twitter posts, random websites that pop-up overnight, didn't exist 10 years ago, etc.... those outlets don't care about accuracy. They care about clicks, followers and making money and all they have to do is say anything that opposes what the MSM is saying to get clicks, followers, etc.
Also, many on the Right don't seem understand the difference between news and opinions and don't understand the difference between "asking a question" and "reporting news". Fox News has, if I recall correctly,
one news show hosted by Bret Baer (sp). All other shows are opinion shows. This is where people like Tucker Carlson come into play. He was the king of "Well, I'm just asking questions. What's wrong with that?" The problem is, people think everything on Fox News is "news", even the disingenuous lies of charlatans like Tucker, Jesse, etc. So, when Tucker says, in the middle of the Covid pandemic, "It appears that thousands of people have died from the Covid vaccine", people hear that as "news", not the ramblings of a grifting, conman.
The snowball effect of those two situations has, over a period of year, turned much of the Republican party into conspiracy theorists.