Before TikTok trends and viral challenges, funny cat memes were among the earliest sensations to dominate the internet. From the iconic "I Can Has Cheezburger?" era to Crying Cat, Side Eye Cat, and more, cats have been at the heart of online humor for decades. These memes have become a dominant form of online humor, blending playful animal behavior with relatable and often absurd scenarios.
According to Steve Dale, a cat behavior consultant and pet journalist, part of the reason why cat memes are so popular on the internet is that there aren’t many places for cat lovers to congregate, in the way that dog owners have dog parks.
“In the world of cats, there is no dog park,” Dale says. “For cat owners, the dog park is the Internet.”
Grumpy Cat
One of the most famous meme cats is Grumpy Cat, whose real name is Tardar Sauce. The snowshoe cat’s perpetually grumpy expression caused her to rise to internet stardom in late 2012 after photos of her began to circulate on Reddit. While she sadly passed away in 2019 at the age of seven, her fame lives on and photos of her continue to be posted to her Instagram page to this day.
Woman Yelling At A Cat
The Woman Yelling At A Cat meme gained popularity in mid-2019 after a screencap from an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, featuring cast members Taylor Armstrong and Kyle Richards, was combined with a picture of Smudge the Cat looking confused sitting at a table with a plate of vegetables.
Maxwell the Cat
Maxwell the Cat, also known as Spinning Cat, is a tuxedo cat who became popular in late 2022 after she was rendered into a 3D model and added to Garry’s Mod.
Huh Cat
The Huh Cat meme comes from a TikTok clip of a confused-looking black and white cat staring at the camera and making a “huh” sound. The Huh cat’s name is Ben Cat (@benchonkycat) and his owner regularly posts videos of his vocal antics.
Below are 60 of the funniest cat memes from around the internet.
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More animal memes:
- Haha, classic: The origins & spread of the chill Smoking Duck
- Stop Fighting Dog meme: the origins and popularity of the T-Pose Puppy
- I’m Nothing Like Y’all: a fish meme
- The rise of the Hampter
- The Smiling Dolphin meme is actually a porpoise and he’s tired
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