We’ve officially hit peak internet weirdness.
Cats and the internet have always been a perfect match. But lately, the latest viral cat memes have taken a darker turn. Sure, cats are said to have nine lives, but in these AI-generated cat stories, each life is packed with nonstop drama.
From schoolyard bullying to shark attacks, these feline soap operas have taken the internet by storm.
It’s no wonder the business of AI cat videos has blown up, gathering hundreds of millions of views and spawning countless copycat (pun intended) accounts.
They say curiosity kills the cat, but if you’re as hooked on these wild cat tales as we are, you’re in the right place.
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The Soundtrack
The most popular versions of these videos feature a meow-ified rendition of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For.” The lyrics might be swapped out for sad “meows,” but the overall vibe of the song stays just as melancholy.
If the creator is feeling extra creative, you might even hear a meow-ified version of Rihanna’s “Diamonds” or Sia’s “Unstoppable.”
Most of these videos star a chubby ginger tabby cat, aptly named “Chubby,” and his son, “Chubby Jr.” If these videos are anything to go by, these cats can’t catch a break.
They’ve been through it all—homelessness, house fires, betrayal, and in one particularly wild video, Chubby Jr. gets kidnapped by a pigeon.
Sometimes these videos end with a lesson, like not judging others by their appearance. Other times, well, it’s just a cat getting kidnapped by a pigeon.
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Where Did This Trend Start?
These meow-ified, likely AI-generated tunes sound familiar because they’re based on hit pop songs. While they remind us of the tear-jerking dog and cat ballads that took over TikTok a few years ago, this trend is its own thing.
These cat-themed AI stories have been making the rounds since January, but the ones featuring “What Was I Made For” really took off. TikTok user @mpminds was the first to use this song in a video posted on April 13, 2024. Since then, it’s racked up a staggering 50.2 million views.
Unbelievably, this sound has been used in over 931,400 videos—most of them telling sad cat stories designed to pull at your heartstrings.
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Viral Reactions!
Parents are getting in on the trend by filming their Gen Alpha kids’ reactions to these tear-jerker videos. The combination of a crying cat and heart-wrenching music is usually enough to make these iPad kids burst into tears. The earliest video of this kind has 23.4 million views, so it’s no shock that other parents are jumping on the bandwagon.
Meanwhile, some people are going viral for using cat filters and meowing along to the feline-fied “What Was I Made For.” But if I’m being honest, those videos are just plain unsettling.
These AI cat stories are breaking hearts and making waves on TikTok, and it looks like they’re here to stay—at least for now.