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Eight cat-meme moments in the roundup
The examples below reflect what Tracey L. Kelley’s Daily Paws article featured and how it described them at publication. Social-media identities, origins and view counts are attributed to that article; they should not be read as independently verified or as current platform totals.
Vibing Cat, also known as CatJAM
Daily Paws traced the meme to a 2020 TikTok by @micklagi, featuring his friend’s cat Minette moving along to Jonas Blue’s “I Wanna Dance.” The roundup says the image became associated with the CatJAM emoji and GIF, as well as derivative videos. The origin account here is the one given by Daily Paws.
“I’m not a cat”
A kitten Zoom filter appeared in place of Texas lawyer Rod Ponton’s face during a hearing. “I’m not a cat” is the familiar label for the incident, not a verified transcript or a separately established verbatim quotation from Ponton.
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Sad Cat With Wine
The roundup linked this image to TikTok poster annaolala and reported that nearly 8 million people could relate to the post. That figure is Daily Paws’ 2021 report, not an independently audited count or a current audience measure.
Bernie with Mittens and Kittens
This variation paired cats with Bernie Sanders’s mittens photograph from Joe Biden’s inauguration. Daily Paws connected it to Rachel Syme’s tweet and jokingly called it “one meme to rule them all.” The article supplied no exact statistics, so the line is a comic flourish rather than a ranking.
“The Boy”
The cat was identified in the roundup as a neighborhood cat called Mashed Potatoes, later known at home as Johnny. Daily Paws reported more than 6 million views for the TikTok phenomenon; that is a historical figure from the 2021 article, not a current view count.
Ricky the Liquid Cat
Ricky is an orange-and-white tabby in a video that shows him moving down stairs. The meme’s joke is that Ricky is having a “no bones” day.
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Merlin the New Grumpy Cat
Merlin is a ragdoll cat whose online persona is curmudgeonly. The roundup notes that this may be different from his affectionate character at home, and mentions a plushie as part of his online presence.
Walter
In the featured video, Walter smooths a tie. Daily Paws reported more than 6 million TikTok viewers in its 2021 account; the figure is not a current platform metric.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the roundup does—and does not—establish
The eight entries show a range of meme formats: viral clips, a video-call mishap, image edits and a cat’s online character. They are examples selected by one publication, not proof that these were objectively the funniest cat memes of 2021. The origin stories and social-post details are likewise attributed to Daily Paws rather than independently established here.
The article also suggested that cat memes and videos can lift mood and reduce negative feelings, but it framed that statement through secondary coverage and did not identify the underlying study, its authors, methods or sample. It is not enough evidence to treat meme viewing as a precise or settled scientific finding, or as a mental-health intervention.
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