Polite Cat

2018Reaction image / exploitablesemi-active

Also known as: He Looks Very Polite · Ollie the Polite Cat

Polite Cat is a 2018 reaction-image meme of a cat named Ollie whose tight-lipped expression resembles an awkward smile, popularized by a viral text about a landlord allowing pets for looking "very polite.

Polite Cat is a reaction image of a cat named Ollie whose tight-lipped expression looks like an awkward, polite smile. The meme took off in July 2018 after a fake text conversation showed a landlord making a pet exception because the cat "looks very polite," and it quickly spread across Reddit, Instagram, and Twitter as a versatile template for awkward social situations.

catsreaction memesexploitable templatesfake text memes2018 memes

Overview

The Polite Cat meme features a cat named Ollie staring at the camera with a peculiar expression. His mouth forms a flat, horizontal line that looks like a person forcing a polite smile. The image hit a nerve because the face is instantly recognizable: it's the expression you make when someone tells you something you're supposed to care about and you absolutely do not1. The meme is most closely tied to a screenshot of a fake text exchange where a landlord allows a pet because it "looks very polite," but the image has since been edited into countless other formats2.

Whether Ollie's expression is genuine or digitally altered is still debated. The Daily Dot investigated the claim and found they could replicate the effect using video editing software on a different cat1. When contacted, Ollie's supposed owner stopped responding to questions about authenticity1.

On June 7, 2018, someone posted a photo of the cat to 9GAG with the caption "My face when someone expects me to be excited about something that I'm not excited about"2. The post picked up around 1,200 points within two months1. The cat's flat-mouthed expression struck people as oddly human, like a forced customer service smile stretched across a feline face.

The image might have stayed a minor curiosity on 9GAG if not for what came next. On July 2, 2018, Instagram user @livewithflip posted a screenshot of a mock text conversation between a renter and someone labeled "Bruce Landlord"1. In the exchange, the renter asks if pets are allowed. Bruce says no. The renter sends the photo of Ollie. Bruce replies: "OK I will make an exception because he looks very polite"2. That post racked up over 21,000 likes in its first week4.

Origin & Background

Platform
9GAG (source photo), Instagram (viral spread)
Key People
Unknown, @livewithflip
Date
2018

On June 7, 2018, someone posted a photo of the cat to 9GAG with the caption "My face when someone expects me to be excited about something that I'm not excited about"2. The post picked up around 1,200 points within two months1. The cat's flat-mouthed expression struck people as oddly human, like a forced customer service smile stretched across a feline face.

The image might have stayed a minor curiosity on 9GAG if not for what came next. On July 2, 2018, Instagram user @livewithflip posted a screenshot of a mock text conversation between a renter and someone labeled "Bruce Landlord"1. In the exchange, the renter asks if pets are allowed. Bruce says no. The renter sends the photo of Ollie. Bruce replies: "OK I will make an exception because he looks very polite"2. That post racked up over 21,000 likes in its first week4.

How It Spread

The landlord screenshot tore through Reddit on July 3, 2018. It landed on r/GoodFakeTexts (7,300 points), r/BadFakeTexts (4,400 points), and r/MemeEconomy (15,000 points) all on the same day2. The simultaneous posting to both GoodFakeTexts and BadFakeTexts was itself a kind of meta-joke about the screenshot's quality.

Variations appeared almost immediately. On July 3, Redditor Myom_Everwind posted a version swapping Ollie for the anime character Felix Argyle from Re:Zero, pulling 370 upvotes2. The next day, another Redditor posted a red panda in a hat version that got 430 points2. On July 9, Instagram user @grapejuiceboys posted a bulldog version that hit 13,000 likes in under six hours2.

Also on July 9, an Instagram account called @Khan_Amon_Ra appeared claiming to be Ollie's owner1. The account later reopened as @Polite_Cat_Olli, posting regular photos and short videos of the cat1. On July 15, PewDiePie covered the meme in a YouTube video titled "Tekashi 6ix9ine saved by polite cat," introducing it to his massive subscriber base2.

People started editing Ollie's eyes onto his ears, creating an uncanny doubled-face effect1. Others photoshopped him into tuxedos, fake product ads for "Polite Juice," DMV offices, and space stations4. The format expanded beyond the landlord text template into a general-purpose reaction image for any situation requiring forced politeness3.

Platforms

TumblrRedditTwitter

Timeline

2018-01-01

Polite Cat image emerges

2018-06-01

Polite Cat gains popularity as reaction format

2019-01-01

Peak popularity period

2020-01-01

Polite Cat reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2021-01-01

Brands and companies started using Polite Cat in marketing

2023-01-01

Polite Cat entered the broader pop culture conversation

2024-01-01

Format declining in mainstream usage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The most common format follows the landlord text template:

1

Set up a scenario where someone is told "no" (no pets, no entry, no exceptions)

2

Show them sending the Polite Cat photo

3

The authority figure reverses their decision because the subject "looks very polite"

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The Polite Cat meme tapped into a specific kind of social anxiety humor that gave it staying power beyond the initial viral wave. The tight-lipped expression became shorthand for the "Customer Service Smile," that mask people wear to navigate bureaucracy and social hierarchies4. Seeing a cat do it made the universal struggle of performing normalcy feel lighter.

The phrase "he looks very polite" evolved into a standalone modifier used across platforms. People started applying it to anything with an unintentionally composed appearance: lizards, robots, even video game bosses caught in the right frame4. The meme also touched on real frustrations around pet-friendly housing, with the fake landlord text hitting a nerve for anyone who'd been denied a rental over a pet4.

The question of whether Ollie's expression is real or edited became its own minor internet mystery. The Daily Dot conducted an experiment, editing a different cat's face to match the look, and confirmed it was achievable with basic tools1. Ollie's owner went silent when pressed on the question, which only fueled the debate1.

Fun Facts

The 9GAG post sat relatively quietly with 1,200 points for weeks before the landlord text screenshot made it blow up1.

Ollie's meme hit r/GoodFakeTexts AND r/BadFakeTexts on the same day, because Reddit couldn't agree on whether the text screenshot was good or bad2.

The @grapejuiceboys bulldog version got 13,000 likes in less than six hours, nearly matching the original's first-week performance in a fraction of the time2.

PewDiePie's video about the meme was titled "Tekashi 6ix9ine saved by polite cat," tying the meme to one of 2018's most talked-about figures2.

Derivatives & Variations

Variations of polite cat in different scenarios

A variation of Polite Cat

(2018)

Combinations with other wholesome meme formats

A variation of Polite Cat

(2018)

Frequently Asked Questions

Polite Cat

2018Reaction image / exploitablesemi-active

Also known as: He Looks Very Polite · Ollie the Polite Cat

Polite Cat is a 2018 reaction-image meme of a cat named Ollie whose tight-lipped expression resembles an awkward smile, popularized by a viral text about a landlord allowing pets for looking "very polite.

Polite Cat is a reaction image of a cat named Ollie whose tight-lipped expression looks like an awkward, polite smile. The meme took off in July 2018 after a fake text conversation showed a landlord making a pet exception because the cat "looks very polite," and it quickly spread across Reddit, Instagram, and Twitter as a versatile template for awkward social situations.

cats reaction memes exploitable templates fake text memes 2018 memes

Overview

The Polite Cat meme features a cat named Ollie staring at the camera with a peculiar expression. His mouth forms a flat, horizontal line that looks like a person forcing a polite smile. The image hit a nerve because the face is instantly recognizable: it's the expression you make when someone tells you something you're supposed to care about and you absolutely do not1. The meme is most closely tied to a screenshot of a fake text exchange where a landlord allows a pet because it "looks very polite," but the image has since been edited into countless other formats2.

Whether Ollie's expression is genuine or digitally altered is still debated. The Daily Dot investigated the claim and found they could replicate the effect using video editing software on a different cat1. When contacted, Ollie's supposed owner stopped responding to questions about authenticity1.

On June 7, 2018, someone posted a photo of the cat to 9GAG with the caption "My face when someone expects me to be excited about something that I'm not excited about"2. The post picked up around 1,200 points within two months1. The cat's flat-mouthed expression struck people as oddly human, like a forced customer service smile stretched across a feline face.

The image might have stayed a minor curiosity on 9GAG if not for what came next. On July 2, 2018, Instagram user @livewithflip posted a screenshot of a mock text conversation between a renter and someone labeled "Bruce Landlord"1. In the exchange, the renter asks if pets are allowed. Bruce says no. The renter sends the photo of Ollie. Bruce replies: "OK I will make an exception because he looks very polite"2. That post racked up over 21,000 likes in its first week4.

Origin & Background

Platform
9GAG (source photo), Instagram (viral spread)
Key People
Unknown, @livewithflip
Date
2018

On June 7, 2018, someone posted a photo of the cat to 9GAG with the caption "My face when someone expects me to be excited about something that I'm not excited about"2. The post picked up around 1,200 points within two months1. The cat's flat-mouthed expression struck people as oddly human, like a forced customer service smile stretched across a feline face.

The image might have stayed a minor curiosity on 9GAG if not for what came next. On July 2, 2018, Instagram user @livewithflip posted a screenshot of a mock text conversation between a renter and someone labeled "Bruce Landlord"1. In the exchange, the renter asks if pets are allowed. Bruce says no. The renter sends the photo of Ollie. Bruce replies: "OK I will make an exception because he looks very polite"2. That post racked up over 21,000 likes in its first week4.

How It Spread

The landlord screenshot tore through Reddit on July 3, 2018. It landed on r/GoodFakeTexts (7,300 points), r/BadFakeTexts (4,400 points), and r/MemeEconomy (15,000 points) all on the same day2. The simultaneous posting to both GoodFakeTexts and BadFakeTexts was itself a kind of meta-joke about the screenshot's quality.

Variations appeared almost immediately. On July 3, Redditor Myom_Everwind posted a version swapping Ollie for the anime character Felix Argyle from Re:Zero, pulling 370 upvotes2. The next day, another Redditor posted a red panda in a hat version that got 430 points2. On July 9, Instagram user @grapejuiceboys posted a bulldog version that hit 13,000 likes in under six hours2.

Also on July 9, an Instagram account called @Khan_Amon_Ra appeared claiming to be Ollie's owner1. The account later reopened as @Polite_Cat_Olli, posting regular photos and short videos of the cat1. On July 15, PewDiePie covered the meme in a YouTube video titled "Tekashi 6ix9ine saved by polite cat," introducing it to his massive subscriber base2.

People started editing Ollie's eyes onto his ears, creating an uncanny doubled-face effect1. Others photoshopped him into tuxedos, fake product ads for "Polite Juice," DMV offices, and space stations4. The format expanded beyond the landlord text template into a general-purpose reaction image for any situation requiring forced politeness3.

Platforms

TumblrRedditTwitter

Timeline

2018-01-01

Polite Cat image emerges

2018-06-01

Polite Cat gains popularity as reaction format

2019-01-01

Peak popularity period

2020-01-01

Polite Cat reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2021-01-01

Brands and companies started using Polite Cat in marketing

2023-01-01

Polite Cat entered the broader pop culture conversation

2024-01-01

Format declining in mainstream usage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The most common format follows the landlord text template:

1

Set up a scenario where someone is told "no" (no pets, no entry, no exceptions)

2

Show them sending the Polite Cat photo

3

The authority figure reverses their decision because the subject "looks very polite"

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The Polite Cat meme tapped into a specific kind of social anxiety humor that gave it staying power beyond the initial viral wave. The tight-lipped expression became shorthand for the "Customer Service Smile," that mask people wear to navigate bureaucracy and social hierarchies4. Seeing a cat do it made the universal struggle of performing normalcy feel lighter.

The phrase "he looks very polite" evolved into a standalone modifier used across platforms. People started applying it to anything with an unintentionally composed appearance: lizards, robots, even video game bosses caught in the right frame4. The meme also touched on real frustrations around pet-friendly housing, with the fake landlord text hitting a nerve for anyone who'd been denied a rental over a pet4.

The question of whether Ollie's expression is real or edited became its own minor internet mystery. The Daily Dot conducted an experiment, editing a different cat's face to match the look, and confirmed it was achievable with basic tools1. Ollie's owner went silent when pressed on the question, which only fueled the debate1.

Fun Facts

The 9GAG post sat relatively quietly with 1,200 points for weeks before the landlord text screenshot made it blow up1.

Ollie's meme hit r/GoodFakeTexts AND r/BadFakeTexts on the same day, because Reddit couldn't agree on whether the text screenshot was good or bad2.

The @grapejuiceboys bulldog version got 13,000 likes in less than six hours, nearly matching the original's first-week performance in a fraction of the time2.

PewDiePie's video about the meme was titled "Tekashi 6ix9ine saved by polite cat," tying the meme to one of 2018's most talked-about figures2.

Derivatives & Variations

Variations of polite cat in different scenarios

A variation of Polite Cat

(2018)

Combinations with other wholesome meme formats

A variation of Polite Cat

(2018)

Frequently Asked Questions