The CAT emote is primarily used to express feelings of comfort, coziness, cuteness, or wholesomeness in Twitch chat. It conveys a sense of warmth and contentment, similar to the feeling of being wrapped up in comfortable clothing. The emote can also be used to react to adorable or heartwarming moments during streams, or to express a cozy, relaxed mood. It's often spammed during chill stream segments or when something particularly cute or comforting happens on stream.
Origin
The CAT emote originates from a viral image of a white cat wearing a blue dinosaur or shark costume, which became popular on social media around 2019-2020. This particular costume style, often called a "dino hoodie" or "shark hoodie," became a widespread meme format. The image was later adapted into various emote versions across different platforms including 7TV, FFZ, and BetterTTV. The adorable and cozy appearance of the cat in oversized costume clothing resonated with internet culture's love for cute animal content. The emote gained traction as streamers and viewers adopted it for their channels, becoming a staple comfort emote in many Twitch communities.
When to use
When a streamer or their pet does something adorable
During cozy or relaxing stream segments like just chatting or calm gameplay
To express comfort or contentment in chat
As a wholesome reaction to heartwarming moments
During rainy day streams or winter-themed content
When viewers want to create a comfy, positive atmosphere in chat
As part of emote spam chains celebrating cute moments
