# Screaming Cat Screaming Cat, also known as Yamato Cat, is a reaction image of a black and white cat named Inkky caught mid-yowl, often photoshopped with cartoon tears and paired with the Japanese caption 'yamero,' meaning 'stop it.' First posted to Tumblr in August 2015, the picture became a go-to macro for over-the-top anguish. ## Origin On August 15, 2015, Tumblr user busket posted several photos of their cat under the caption 'the struggle,' one of which caught Inkky mid-scream in the frame that would spawn the meme[1]. Three days later, Tumblr user nicolas-px reposted a photoshopped version with cartoon tears added, and that edit is the frame most people know as Screaming Cat[2]. Inkky's owner Kiana McMillian confirmed the cat's identity years later[7]. - **Platform:** Tumblr (original photo) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** busket (original photo), nicolas-px (photoshopped edit) - **Date:** 2015 ## Overview The image shows Inkky, a black and white cat, caught in an open-mouth wail[1]. Edits usually pile on cartoon tears to push the expression from mildly upset into full-blown sobbing[2]. The 'yamero' caption frames the cat as a weeaboo-adjacent shorthand for melodramatic distress[3]. The format works as a reaction to any scenario a poster wants to play as absurdly tragic, from FBI-in-your-computer bits[9] to dark r/dankmemes rewrites[6]. ShitpostBot 5000's edit turned Inkky into the autocorrect answer for 'AAAA,' cementing her as the visual for the internet scream[4]. ## How to Use Users typically drop the crying-cat image into any post they want to frame as absurdly tragic, either as a straight reaction or as an image-macro with a top caption. A common convention pairs the picture with 'yamero' or 'yamete' for an anime-panic beat, and edits often exaggerate the tears further for effect. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Screaming Cat? Screaming Cat is a reaction image of a black and white cat named Inkky mid-yowl, usually edited with cartoon tears and captioned 'yamero,' Japanese for 'stop it'[3]. ### Where did Screaming Cat come from? Tumblr user busket posted the original photograph of their cat Inkky on August 15, 2015[1]. Tumblr user nicolas-px added the crying edit three days later[2]. ### What does Screaming Cat mean? The image works as shorthand for exaggerated melodrama and is often paired with 'yamero' or 'yamete' to imitate an over-the-top anime reaction to bad news[10]. ### How do you use Screaming Cat? Users typically overlay the crying cat as a reaction to something they want to frame as absurdly tragic, from surveillance jokes to dark-humor punchlines[9]. ### Is Screaming Cat still popular? The picture peaked between 2017 and 2019 and stays in circulation as a classic reaction image, though Inkky herself died in September 2020[7]. ## References 1. [http://busket.tumblr.com/post/126738119893/the-struggle]() 2. [http://nicolas-px.tumblr.com/post/127047793357/this-is-what-homeworld-thinks-of-fusion-busket]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/screaming-cat]() 4. [https://twitter.com/ShitpostBot5000/status/822957001957404673]() 5. [https://twitter.com/watery_day/status/823047948665688064]() 6. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/5um2oe/take_me_with_you/]() 7. [https://twitter.com/watery_day/status/1087496103182753793]() 8. [https://boards.fireden.net/v/thread/364193815/]() 9. [https://www.reddit.com/r/me_irl/comments/7xjyl9/meirl/]() 10. [https://funnyjunk.com/channel/4chan/Ye+olde+koreajapan+relations/uigpLhv/7]() 11. [https://x.com/i/status/1310352339648217088]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/screaming-cat Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library