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Everything you need to understand about this viral sensation
Have you come across the image of a teary-eyed cat giving a thumbs-up on social media and wondered what it signifies? This widely shared reaction meme is known as the Crying Cat Thumbs Up or Thumbs Up Crying Cat. It typically conveys that the person using it has reluctantly accepted a difficult situation. Continue reading to learn about its origins and how to incorporate it into your texts or social media posts.
Understanding the Crying Cat Thumbs Up Meme
The Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme shows a cat with big, teary eyes giving a thumbs-up gesture. Generally, it symbolizes sadness or emotional pain, but also a sense of resignation or acceptance of the situation at hand.
How to Use the Meme
What exactly is the Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme?
It’s a sad cat giving a thumbs-up, symbolizing reluctant acceptance. The Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme is a photoshopped image of a cat with tears in its eyes, holding up its thumb. It expresses the idea that the person sending or sharing it has been hurt but is still pushing through the pain. It can also suggest that someone is trying to mask their emotions, but they just can’t quite conceal them completely.
- It can also represent a mix of sadness and duty, such as, “This really sucks, but let’s just get it done.”
How to use the Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme
It’s a way to say you're giving your best effort. One of the meme's most common uses is to respond to criticism. By using the Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme, you're telling the critic that you're trying as hard as you can, and it hurts that they don't see that. Some examples of how to respond with this meme include:
- Use it when a random Fortnite teammate calls you a “noob” and says, “You’re trash at this,” even though you just bought the game and are doing your best to learn.
- Use it when someone criticizes your English by saying, “Your English is so bad! Where did you learn it?” but you’re actually Norwegian visiting the U.S. and trying to communicate as best you can.
- Use it to reflect how Rick Astley might feel when people say, “Haha! You got Rick Rolled!” when all he was doing was trying to create a great song.
Use it to express sadness about a request but still agree to do it. There are times when people ask you to do something you really don't want to, but you feel obligated to follow through. The Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme is a great way to react in these moments. Here are a few examples:
- Use it when your boss asks you to stay late after your 8-hour shift, and you’re exhausted but need the money.
- Use it when your best friend asks you to help them move a piano up to their 6th-floor apartment, even though you’re not thrilled about it.
- Use it when your dad, who has worked tirelessly to support you, asks you to mow the lawn because his back is hurting.
Use humor to respond to a statement that downplays someone’s contribution. The Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme can add a humorous twist to show how a comment might be unintentionally hurtful. Here are a few examples of how to react with the meme:
- Teacher: “If you don’t study, you’ll end up working as a garbage man.”
Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme with the caption: The Garbage Man, removing trash to keep the neighborhood clean. - People in 2020: “Bats are the worst! They gave us all Covid and ruined our lives!”
Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme with the caption: Bats eating mosquitoes and just wishing for some peace. - Me: “This computer is useless.”
Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme with the caption: My PC after six years of loyal service.
Celebrate a hard-earned victory. The Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme is perfect for expressing the mix of exhaustion and triumph after a long and challenging effort. Here are some examples:
- Use it when you finally beat a tough boss level after countless retries.
- Use it to show the feeling of crossing the finish line of a 5K that you didn't train for but somehow completed.
- Use it when you submit an assignment after pulling an all-nighter to finish it.
Respond to a disappointment you just have to power through. Sometimes, life gives you disappointments that you can only shrug off and move forward. The Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme captures that feeling perfectly. Here are some ways to use it to convey that sense of emotional resignation:
- Use it when a random online player says “it’s time to go” after seven hours of gaming.
- Use it when your boyfriend tags other people in memes while you're left out.
- Use it when the first bite of your dinner burns your mouth, and you can’t taste anything else for the rest of the meal.
Where did the Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme originate?
The meme first appeared on Discord in 2017. A user uploaded an image of a cat giving a thumbs-up to the JabGood servers. Initially, the meme simply showed the cat giving a thumbs-up without the signature sad eyes that would become the hallmark of the most famous version.
- Cat memes have a long history of going viral, with iconic examples like Grumpy Cat and Lil’ Bub.
In June 2017, Reddit user IAMAdumbgirl shared the image on r/sadcats. The Reddit version of the Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme used the same base image as the original, but with the sad, teary eyes from the preexisting Sad Cat meme edited onto it. The user captioned the image with the phrase, 'Sad thumbs up.'
- The post earned over 1,700 Reddit Karma points and received a 99% upvote rate in just one year.
The meme gained traction on Twitter and Reddit in 2020. Although the image had been posted to Reddit almost three years earlier, its true viral rise occurred in 2020. A Twitter user named @SaoryEmanoelle replied to a post by @RespectfulMemes with the Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme.
- Months later, Redditor edmemesthrowawaybby posted it to r/EDanonymemes.
- By July 2020, the meme gained widespread popularity in the r/dankmemes subreddit.
Related Cat Memes
Serious Cat The Serious Cat meme features a white cat with an expression that’s almost too serious, paired with the caption, 'I are serious cat. This is serious thread.' The image first appeared on a South Korean web forum called Humor University in early 2005. It was later introduced to the Western audience on 4chan in 2006 and quickly went viral.
- Users shared Serious Cat to express exaggerated seriousness.
- Originally, Serious Cat was called Jae-Young Cat due to its similarity to South Korean DJ/rapper Jae Young.
Crying Cat The Crying Cat meme consists of photos of cats with digitally altered, teary eyes, making them appear as if they’re crying. The earliest known version of this meme appeared in June 2014, and it was a photoshopped variation of the Serious Cat meme. It became a popular way to humorously express extreme sadness on social media.
- This meme is also known by other names, including Sad Cat and Schmuserkadser.
Thumbs Up Cat The Thumbs Up Cat is a collection of photoshopped images of cats with various cats giving a thumbs up. While the Crying Cat Thumbs Up meme is one version of the Thumbs Up Cat, the concept originates from a 2011 YouTube video featuring a cat named Jimmy giving a thumbs-up to its owner. It is typically used as a lighthearted way to show approval or agreement.
- Multiple variations of the Cat Thumbs Up meme exist, but the Crying Cat Thumbs Up is by far the most well-known and viral of them all.
