What Is The Origin Of The Spinning 'OiiAi' Cat On TikTok? 'Oo Ee A E A' Cat Remix Memes Explained

The Oo Ee A E A Cat is a strong contender for the last truly massive meme of 2024, but the adorable spinning cat has a deeper history on the internet than you might think.

From the image of a grey tabby named Ethel appearing in Latin American memes as far back as 2019, to the Friday Night Funkin' sound effect that took off on TikTok back in 2021, to the spinning Oo Ee A E A cat remixes taking over TikTok right now, here's a recap of the kitty's journey through its various internet iterations.

Where Did The 'Oo Ee A E A' Sound Effect Come From?

In early October 2021, Turkish TikToker and Friday Night Funkin' fan @dr.frex posted a screen recording of their messages with a friend where they vocalized a song in the style of the game at different speeds. Not long after, they posted another, slightly sped-up version of their song.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7016374198100708610

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7016398755419131137

The trend quickly became a meme on Turkish TikTok, with people miming the silly sounding sound effect and pairing it with funny face filters.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7065866941772074286

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7075071917023071494

Who Is The Stocky Grey Cat Featured In The 'Oo Ee A E A' Remixes?

As per correspondence with Know Your Meme, the cat pictured in the "Oo EE A E A" remix is a rescue cat named Ethel. According to Ethel's owner, the image of a stubby-legged cat was first posted to the Facebook group "Cats On Catnip Group" in January 2019, after which it was picked up by Latin American meme creators under the name "Ai Dise Gratis."

Ethel first made it big in memes through the "I Wake Up, There's Another X" meme, appearing smack in the middle of a circle diagram template that was huge on Instagram back in 2022.

How Did 'Oo Ee A E A' Become Associated With The Spinning Grey Cat?

While there is already a Spinning Cat meme featuring a black and white cat named Maxwell, the grey cat didn't become a remix meme until a number of Chinese internet users began combining pictures of Ethel with the Oo Ee A E A sound in 2023.

On April 12th, 2023, Bilibili user 黑瘦的鱼头 uploaded a remix of the Oo Ee A E A sound effect with an edit of a spinning cat the video gathered millions of views and was later reposted to YouTube in 2023 by Sillius The Third.

The remixes grew hugely popular in Bilibili and on YouTube in April 2023, with YouTuber Remittal uploading a A Dance of Fire and Ice remix that gathered over 9 million views.

The meme made a resurgence on TikTok in December 2024, with people remixing the cat with various pop songs. TikToker @doombreaker03 posted a remix set to the song "FE!N" by Travis Scott, while TikToker^[9] @oicatofficial posted a remix of the Bruno Mars and Rosé song "APT," both gathering millions of views in a week.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7449112896031837447

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7450906189321293088

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For the full history of Oo Ee A E A Cat Remixes, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.