Vibing Cat (CatJAM)

What the picture shows

The shot is taken very close and slightly from below: the white cat’s nose, whiskers and ear fill the frame. The background is dark, with a corner of soft pink fabric on the right. The image is blurry and grainy, like footage from an amateur phone video. The cat’s face is hard to make out, and all the expression is in the movement.

This blurriness is what gives the clip its warmth: it feels as if it was filmed at home, not for an audience.

The story of the clip

According to an interview with the clip’s author, Mika Lagi, published in meme databases, he filmed it in April 2020 and posted it as his second video on TikTok. The cat is named Minette, belongs to his friend and, as he said, is deaf. He created the nodding motion with his hand, while at the same time making rhythmic sounds with his mouth.

This is an important detail. The most widespread belief, that the cat bobs its head to the music on its own, turns out not to be entirely accurate: the movement was created by a person, and the original sound was made with the mouth, not taken from a song.

How the clip became an emote and a meme

In summer 2020 the clip began to be re-shared, and it became the CatJAM emote on Twitch: according to meme databases, it was used on more than 12,600 channels, among them the streamers xQc and Tyler1. In late July and early August 2020, a version named Vibing Cat spread on Reddit and TikTok.

In autumn 2020 another wave appeared: the same clip was overlaid on a street musician playing the Finnish song Ievan Polkka. The author said he learned about the popularity only from a comment and wished he had earned money from it.

What it means in jokes

The cat expresses neither ecstasy nor joy; it simply sways in time. That is why captions laugh at small pleasures: a song in a store, a good recommendation, a package that turned out great. The reaction “quietly enjoying it” fits any music the user chooses.

For streamers the clip is a short signal of approval in chat: no need to type words, a single emote is enough.

Note the sound layer too. The clip itself had no song in it: the sound was made with the mouth, and later it was replaced with different tracks. That is why the same picture takes on different moods depending on the track, and this is one reason the meme survived several waves of popularity in 2020.

Example captions

“Me when the store plays that one song from 2012.” The frame conveys a silent happiness that cannot be shown openly.

“My brain when a friend sends a playlist with five hundred tracks.” The comedy lies in the exaggeration of the scale of pleasure.

“Accounting on payday.” No music is needed here: the cat nodding to an imaginary beat turns the event into a celebration.

“Me after turning off the alarm and still having five minutes.” A joke about bliss without any music at all.

How to use the template

The best captions are short and free of mean irony: the cat looks good-natured, and the meme conveys calm enjoyment. It works as a chat emote and as a caption on a video alike.

If you make a version with music, keep the track’s copyright in mind. If you use a still image, add a caption about motion: “nodding its head” or “in rhythm.”