Study Claims Cat Brains Are Smaller, Joke About Orange Cat Stereotype

Study Confirms Suspicions That Cat Brains Are Smaller Than They Used to Be

This meme features a close-up stock photo of a wide-eyed orange tabby cat, credited to Eric Hacke via Getty Images, placed above a parody Nature publication headline that reads 'Study Confirms Suspicions That Cat Brains Are Smaller Than They Used to Be'. Below the headline, a comment states 'any cat owner already knew this', followed by a reply from Tumblr user mariacallous dated December 20, 2022, which jokes '#unfair study; that cat is orange'. The humor relies on the widespread internet stereotype that orange cats are unusually goofy, unintelligent, or have smaller brains than other cat breeds, implying the study's conclusion is biased because its sample used an orange cat.

The core meme was originally posted on Tumblr by user mariacallous on December 20, 2022, combining a licensed Getty Images stock photograph of an orange cat and a parody headline mimicking the style of the scientific journal Nature. The meme was later reposted widely across social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), where it was sourced via an RSS feed from X.com account meme.jpg as noted in the provided source information.