Cat Thinking
What it means
Used for confusion, scheming or a dilemma, from serious problems to "should I eat the second snack".
Where it came from
Know Your Meme traces the photo to a 2019 artwork titled "Thinking Cat" by Douglas Sacha on Fine Art America. It took off as a TikTok sticker and Instagram reaction in early 2025.
How popular is it?
- 28,140 views of the Know Your Meme entry (read 2026-10-31 15:58 MSK)
- YouTube search for
"cat thinking" meme: about 2,674 results, 69 uploaded this month (YouTube's own rough estimate, may include unrelated videos; search, read 2026-10-31 15:58 MSK)
Public counts only, copied as shown on the day we read them. Google Trends and Reddit search were not reachable from our server, so they are not included.
Timeline
- Feb 2019"Thinking Cat" photo published
- Early 2025Reaction meme on TikTok/Instagram
How people use it
Put the dilemma as a caption above the cat.
Caption ideas
FAQ
Can I use the original photo freely?
It is a copyrighted artwork; for commercial use, create your own cat photo or illustration.
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-31. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
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