AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The 'Loading Cat' or 'Buffering Cat' meme features an image of a calico cat displaying an expression of anger or confusion. Uniquely, a buffering icon is superimposed onto the cat's forehead, adding a humorous digital twist to the cat's apparent frustration. This meme template typically circulates as a reaction image, used to convey emotions of annoyance or waiting in online conversations.

OriginWho did it first?

The exact origins of both the original photograph of the cat and the buffering edit are unclear. However, the earliest known post of the unedited cat photo was by a user named gary56 on the Yaplakal forum on September 9th, 2018 (view original post). Before this, the first meme using the edited version with a buffering icon appeared online in July 2017. Initially, this version was included in several meme collections, starting from July 18th, 2017, on sites like Bugaga and KorzoNews (Bugaga, KorzoNews). This edited image was also popularized significantly when a meme was posted on Twitter (now X) on August 8th, 2017, by Hatredshout, which was later shared extensively within Russian online communities (Leprasorium, VK).^[1]