mpv will also play gifs and allow you to pause them. It also knows how to stream web resources.
I have a keyboard shortcut bound to run mpv with the content of the clipboard, so right click on gif, "Copy Image Link", hit the keyboard shortcut and wait for the gif to open in mpv where I can pause, speed up, speed down, scroll etc.
Also useful for any video or audio on the web, since mpv is (for me) much nicer than any built-in player.
I have a keyboard shortcut bound to run mpv with the content of the clipboard, so right click on gif, "Copy Image Link", hit the keyboard shortcut and wait for the gif to open in mpv where I can pause, speed up, speed down, scroll etc.
Also useful for any video or audio on the web, since mpv is (for me) much nicer than any built-in player.