Woman Yelling at Cat

Origin

The "Woman Yelling at Cat" meme emerged in May 2019 when two separate images were paired together online. One showed Taylor Armstrong, a cast member from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," mid-argument with her finger pointed outward. The other depicted Smudge, a white cat with a bewildered expression, sitting at a dining table. The combination struck a chord with internet users because it captured the contrast between human anger and feline detachment in a format that worked with almost any joke or commentary. People could place nearly any caption on the images and create new material. The cat himself became something of a celebrity after the meme took off, spawning dedicated social media accounts that tracked his various facial expressions and reactions. His minor fame helped ensure the template remained a fixture of online culture.