Crying Cat
The Crying Cat meme is a photoshopped picture of Serious Cat, a white cat with glassy, tear-filled eyes that people post as a reaction to sad or mildly tragic news. The earliest known use dates to June 11, 2014, when an anonymous Meme Generator user posted the edited image, and it spread from there through ask.fm, the German board pr0gramm, 4chan and Facebook. The tears are edited in — the base photo shows a perfectly serious cat.
Names & aliases
What’s it called?
One umbrella name, many instance formats — here is how the names nest.
-
UmbrellaSad cat memes
The white Serious Cat photoshop with glassy, tear-filled eyes
-
InstanceSad Cat
KYM alias ('also known as Sad Cat'); also the imgflip template name (verified 2026-11-08).
-
InstanceSchmuserkadser
German pr0gramm name for the image since April 9, 2015 (KYM).
-
InstanceThumbs Up Crying Cat
Name of a related but distinct sub-entry on KYM — listed here so people can tell them apart.
Usage
How to use it
Tone
sad but cute.
Where it lands
Reacting to minor misfortunes — the image is heartbreak and comedy at once.
How it evolved
Earliest known use June 11, 2014 — an anonymous Meme Generator user posted the photoshop.
Easy to get wrong
The tears are photoshopped — the base image is Serious Cat, not a genuinely crying pet. And don't confuse it with Thumbs Up Crying Cat, which is a different (later, composite) sub-meme.
Origin
Origin & timeline
- 2014Earliest known use June 11, 2014 — an anonymous Meme Generator user posted the photoshop — Meme Generator, then ask.fm, the German board pr0gramm, 4chan and Facebook
- 2014June 11, 2014: the earliest known Crying Cat is posted to Meme Generator — a photoshop of Serious Cat with a tear-eyed kitten face; it spawned 925+ images within four years (KYM).
- 2014Later 2014: it appears on ask.fm (user YoussefArafa88); April 9, 2015: it lands on German board pr0gramm as 'Schmuserkadser,' earning 975+ points in three years (KYM).
- 20162016: a 4chan /vp/ user posts a larger-cat version captioned 'First it's smug, then it's fat. It's living my life.' (KYM).
- 2017January 27, 2017: Facebook page smokememe posts it with 'sad react only,' reaching 2,200+ reactions and 440 shares in 18 months (KYM).
- 2018April 10, 2018: a question about the crying cat's origin hits the front page of r/OutOfTheLoop, a marker of mainstream reach (KYM).
Verifiable sources
Templates
Make your own
Open the Crying Cat generator — imgflip↗We link out to generators and blank templates; meme images are never rehosted on memefern.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the crying cat meme?
A photoshopped picture of a white cat with teary, glassy eyes that reads as sad but adorable. The most common version splices a tear-eyed kitten face onto the Serious Cat photo (KYM).
Where did the crying cat meme come from?
The earliest known use is June 11, 2014, posted by an anonymous Meme Generator user. It's a photoshop of Serious Cat, which is why the background, ears and coloring match that older image (KYM).
Is the crying cat actually crying?
No. The tears are edited in. The meme face comes from a photo of a kitten with teary eyes and a wet nose, composited onto Serious Cat (KYM).
What does Schmuserkadser mean?
It's the German name for the image, given on the board pr0gramm on April 9, 2015, where the post earned 975+ points in three years (KYM).
What is the difference between crying cat and thumbs up crying cat?
Crying Cat is the original 2014 photoshop. Thumbs Up Crying Cat is a separate composite sub-entry on KYM showing a teary cat giving a thumbs up — used for 'I'm fine' moments — and the two get mixed up constantly.
When did the crying cat meme get popular?
It built steadily from 2014 through 2017 — pr0gramm in 2015, 4chan in 2016, a viral 'sad react only' Facebook post in January 2017 — and hit mainstream curiosity by April 2018, when its origin question reached r/OutOfTheLoop (KYM).