Huh Cat
TL;DR · Origin‘Huh Cat’ is a video meme of a cat looking dumbfounded and appearing to make a ‘huh?’ sound. The cat is real: a male named Bender, known as Ben, livin…
Origin
‘Huh Cat’ is a video meme of a cat looking dumbfounded and appearing to make a ‘huh?’ sound. The cat is real: a male named Bender, known as Ben, living in Melbourne, Australia. His owner runs the TikTok account @planetvenus500, posting videos of the chunky cat’s daily life.
The clip used in the meme was originally posted in September 2021 and shows Ben meowing for food with his mouth open. That post was later deleted and reposted on February 12th, 2023, so the ‘original’ of the clip now circulating is the repost; the first posting was in 2021.
Spread
The first people to turn the video into a meme were on Russian-language TikTok. On September 24th, 2021, @aromobar posted a version with overlaid text timed to the cat’s changing expressions, and that treatment became the format.
It crossed into English and exploded a year and eight months later. On May 11th, 2023, TikTok user @nyc.jav3 posted a version with a ‘huh?’ sound laid over the clip; within six months it passed 1.7 million plays and 135,000 likes. From there, swapping only the caption over the same clip to express confusion, surprise or scepticism settled as the standard usage.
Usage
- On hearing an explanation that makes no sense — in class, in a work briefing
- On seeing a number that is not what you expected: a payslip, a bill, a balance
- As a follow-up question when you doubt what someone just said
Since it works on a single sound rather than on words, it travels across languages. In Korea the interjection reads the same way, so the clip circulates with nothing changed but the Korean captions.
Sources
- Know Your Meme, ‘Huh? Cat’ — the cat’s name Bender and his home in Melbourne; the owner @planetvenus500; the September 2021 original and February 12th, 2023 repost; @aromobar’s early captioned post of September 24th, 2021; @nyc.jav3’s version of May 11th, 2023 with 1.7 million plays and 135,000 likes
- Daily Dot, ‘Huh Cat Meme Is Here For Life’s Dumbfounding Moments’ — on how the meme is used
- Know Your Meme explainer, ‘Who Is The Huh Cat?’ — the cat’s identity and the video’s route to virality
