That Fucking Cat is a reaction image macro built from a smirking screenshot of Tom from the 1965 Tom and Jerry short Bad Day at Cat Rock. Anonymous 4chan users spammed the picture on /b/ in the mid-2000s, where the frustrated reply 'If I see the fucking cat one more time' gave the shitpost its name and turned it into one of the board's rare successful forced memes.
Origin
The frame comes from Bad Day at Cat Rock, a Tom and Jerry short released on February 10th, 1965, in which Tom chases Jerry onto a half-built skyscraper and the two of them peek out from behind the wooden beams[1]. Tom's smirking peek, animated by the Chuck Jones unit at MGM, is the exact pose later cropped for the macro[6].
In the mid-2000s, anonymous users on 4chan's /b/ board started spamming threads with the still as a shitpost, with the recurring reply 'If I see the fucking cat one more time' giving the bit its name[4]. The earliest surviving posting of the macro form is a DeviantArt upload from August 2nd, 2007 by user JWC, titled 'IF I SEE THAT FUCKING CAT' and showing a slightly battered Tom[2]. The earliest archived 4chan thread featuring the image dates to February 14th, 2008[3].
- Platform: Tom and Jerry (source frame) / 4chan /b/ (viral spread)
- Creator: Unknown
- Date: 2007
Overview
The image shows Tom the cat peeking around a wooden construction beam with a tight, condescending smirk, hand curled over the edge of the girder[1]. Also tagged Cover-Tom, the macro works as a pure non sequitur: posting it, often without any caption, is the whole joke, and the picture is designed to look at the viewer like it knows something they don't[4].
The attached catchphrase, 'If I see that fucking cat one more time,' names the format's own exhausting repetition and became part of the gag[4]. A common follow-up reply is a photo of former US congressman Tom DeLay smirking in a nearly identical way, treated as a human mirror of Tom's expression[4]. The image is also notable for being one of the few genuinely forced memes, pushed through sheer repetition on /b/ until the hostile reactions themselves started reading as the punchline[4].
How to Use
Typical use is to drop the Tom crop into a thread with no context, usually as the first or final reply, letting the smirk read as either a dare or a brag[4]. A common convention is to answer it with the Tom DeLay photograph, matching Tom's smirk to the congressman's face as a visual callback[4].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is That Fucking Cat?
A reaction image macro of Tom from Tom and Jerry smirking around a wooden construction beam, usually posted with the line 'If I see that fucking cat one more time'[4].
Where did That Fucking Cat come from?
The screenshot is from the 1965 Tom and Jerry short Bad Day at Cat Rock[1], which anonymous 4chan users began spamming on /b/ in the mid-2000s[4].
What does That Fucking Cat mean?
It is used as a smug, taunting non sequitur reply, with the attached phrase mocking how often the image gets posted[4].
How do you use That Fucking Cat?
People typically drop the Tom crop into a thread with no context, often following it up with the matching Tom DeLay smirk photo[4].
Is That Fucking Cat still popular?
It is a classic 4chan-era reaction image rather than a current trend; derivative projects like the 2009 Newgrounds dress-up game show how far past /b/ it travelled[5].
