The ‘Cat Shadow With Hands’ trend is a quirky new trend that is taking over social media, particularly in China and South Korea, find out more about the meme below
The trend features people crouching on the ground with their arms posed above their heads and casting shadows that resemble sitting cats.
What is the ‘Cat Shadow With Hands’ trend, how to do it and meme meaning explained as it goes viral on TikTok and Twitter/X
Just starting this is all over my tictok new post every time lol 😂 funny trend don’t fade shadow cat trend this is just starting pic.twitter.com/zeX3EldEZF
— coke mike (@Cokemikeriche) May 11, 2025
This trend so cute 🥰 shadow cat trend pic.twitter.com/M26zQSPoFV
— coke mike (@Cokemikeriche) May 11, 2025
While the trend might look odd at first glance, it all makes sense once you see the shadow, find out more below.
‘Cat Shadow Trend’ meaning and origins
The “Cat Shadow Trend,” also known as the “Cat Shadow Photo,” has people creating a shadow to mimic the shape of a sitting cat using their own bodies. The trend started gaining popularity around late April 2025 on Douyin, which is the Chinese counterpart to TikTok. Users started tagging their photos and videos with the hashtag #猫影子照片 in order to show off their feline-like shadows.
The trend seemingly exploded after a Douyin user named @果汁酒 posted her take on May 3, 2025. Just one day later, the same image appeared on Tumblr, and four days after that, an X user named @bugbug000 reposted it. The post racked up over 111 million views and quickly spread beyond China. The “Cat Shadow Trend,” soon gained momentum across South Korea and Western social platforms.
‘Cat Shadow Trend’ usage and spread
The “Cat Shadow Trend” initially started as a Douyin trend but quickly snowballed into a global phenomenon. Users around the world are now trying their best to perfect the illusion of transforming into a shadowy cat. As the trend gained traction, several K-pop stars also jumped into it and gave it even more visibility. Members of various pop groups like LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, and Enhypen joined the fun.
How to Do the ‘Cat Shadow Trend’
Netizens who wish to try out the ‘Cat Shadow Trend’ can do so using the following steps:
- Find a strong light source like a streetlamp or car headlights
- Crouch down on the ground facing away from the light to project the shadow in front of you
- Cross your arms and raise your elbows above your head to form the cat’s ears
- Uncurl your index, middle, and ring fingers on both hands to create the whiskers.
- Ask a friend to snap the photo or use a timer
- Netizens can also edit a cat tail to complete the illusion
Cat Shadow Trend Redraws
As netizens go crazy with the trend, some have further gone beyond and come up with rabbit shadows, bat shadows, and fox shadows using the same illusion.