Emoji dictionary

๐Ÿˆ Cat emoji

[kat ih-moh-jee]

What does ๐Ÿˆ Cat emoji mean?

Here kitty, kitty, kitty. As opposed to the cat face emoji ๐Ÿฑ, theย cat emoji, ๐Ÿˆ, shows the whole kitty and caboodle to signify our feline pets.ย It is variously used to express affection for our domestic cat companions.

Related words

๐Ÿน Hamster Face emoji, ๐ŸŒˆ Rainbow emoji, ThunderCats, ๐Ÿพ Paw Prints emoji, ๐Ÿฟ๏ธ Chipmunk emoji

Where does ๐Ÿˆ Cat emoji come from?

EmojiTerra

The cat emoji curled up on emoji keyboards (just as we were settling down to work) under Unicode 6.0 in 2010. Across platforms, the emoji points left and is sometimes sitting. Its form and color vary by vendor. Apple’s design is regal and realistic, with red-orange stripes and a white underbelly. Most others feature a more cartoonish, orange-hued Mittens, as shown in the screenshot from Emojipedia below.

Emojipedia

The cat emoji joins other digital felines, like the tigerย ๐Ÿ… or lion faceย ๐Ÿฆ. Ever wonder about all those other cat smileys on the keyboard, like pouting cat faceย ๐Ÿ˜พ? They harken back to the fact that emoji originated in Japan, where cats are considered symbols of good luck and fortune.

NIPPON & CO

People feel feelings about cats. People feel feelings about emoji. And, some people really feel feelings about theย cat emoji. One person launched a Change.org petition to Google to change its cat emoji back (which they recently modified in 2017):

Her beautiful smile was a shining light in these dark times we find ourselves in. I urge Google to reconsider this change because she is the one thing keeping this nation together today. Don’t take my beautiful cat child away.

Examples of ๐Ÿˆ Cat emoji

Happy #Caturdayย ๐Ÿ˜บ #CatsOfTwitter ๐Ÿˆ
@JackDCat,ย July, 2018
๐Ÿ…๐Ÿˆ the domestic cat emoji is larger than the tiger emoji๐Ÿ™€whyyy
@princejcat,ย September, 2015  
Itโ€™s my birthday so naturally the only place I want to be is a Prague cat cafe ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿˆ #kavarnakocici #Prague #Cats...
@PhilJMarsh, July, 2018
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Who uses ๐Ÿˆ Cat emoji?

Cat people. You know them. You might very well be one. Either way, that’s who especially loves the cat emoji, whether showing off their handsome house cats online or wishing folks a Happy Caturday.

Vets and animal-rescue agencies often use the cat emoji to promote their work and causes.

As do lovers of Halloween or anything spooky, with cats long associated with magic and witchcraft.

We have many cat-related expressions in the language, like look what the cat dragged in or the adjective catty. The cat emoji sees ready use in those contexts.

Just Added

March Madness, Pi Day, effective altruism, ๐Ÿ˜ถโ€๐ŸŒซ๏ธ Face in Clouds emoji, International Women's Day

Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of ๐Ÿˆ Cat emoji like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of ๐Ÿˆ Cat emoji that will help our users expand their word mastery.