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Who Is The Original 'Wi Wi Wi Cat'? The Hopecore TikTok Trend Explained
Hopecore edits featuring cats who go "wi wi wi" combined with montages of nature clips have been providing TikTok users with life affirmation sessions free of charge the past few weeks.
Set to relaxing music, the videos usually start with one of two cats eating food – one of them sitting right in the middle of its bowl – doing the cutest "wi wi wi" and "uyaya" sounds as they munch on their dinner.
There's been an argument about which video is the original and who started the hopecore trend, so let's find out what the answer is and how the "Wi Wi Wi Cat" meme spread online.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7470842881738149142
What Is the ‘Wi Wi Wi Cat’ TikTok Trend?
"Hopecore" is a genre of feel-good or "hopeful" videos splicing together wholesome clips of people, animals and nature. The trend, which is meant to de-stress and inspire, first became viral on TikTok in late 2023.
Wi Wi Wi Cat, also called WiWiWi, refers to a hopecore trend in which videos of small kittens making a sound that resembles "wi wi wi" are paired with life-affirming montages of beautiful nature, which are typically set to the song "Dramamine" by Flawed Mangoes.
The trend went viral on TikTok in early February 2025, with the videos soon spreading to X / Twitter, Instagram and just about everywhere else.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7466382508507008278
What's The Original 'Wi Wi Wi' Cat Video?
There's been an argument that the video of a grey-and-white kitten eating food out of a bowl while sitting inside of it posted in January 2025 is the original Wi Wi Wi cat video. However, it's not, as the "wi wi wi" sound comes from a different video entirely.
The original video showing a small orange kitten eating and going "wi wi wi" and "uyaya" was posted by TikTok user @chocoquierellorarr_ back in January 2024, over a year ago.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7329109620893568289
While this video is the original, the sound used in the hopecore edits comes from a second video of the same kitten posted by TikTok user @chocoquierellorarr_ in March 2024.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7346868679700745505
Just recently as the trend went viral, TikTok user @chocoquierellorarr_ posted an update video on how Wi Wi Wi cat's been doing and also revealed his real name, Pepe.
As for the video of the grey-and-white kitten, it was posted by TikTok user @gatosdeapoyo in January 2025, and it uses the sound from @chocoquierellorarr_'s second video. Listen closely, and you'll hear that the audios are identical. The woman's laugh, which follows the meows, is the biggest giveaway.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7460760389878385925
Who Started The 'Wi Wi Wi Cat' Hopecore Trend?
The first hopecore edit based on the video of a kitten sitting in its food bowl and going "wi wi wi" was posted by TikTok user @timson__1…2…3 on February 1st, 2025.
The edit combined the video with a montage of beautiful clips of nature, added subtitles for the kitten sounds and combined it with the song "Dramamine" by Flawed Mangoes."
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7466382508507008278
As the first video became a success on TikTok, @timson__1…2…3 posted more hopecore edits based on the same video in the following days.
Most notably, on February 10th, the TikToker posted an edit that garnered a resounding 99.2 million views and 17.1 million likes, with the video later getting reposted by many users on TikTok, X and Instagram.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7469717534967713046
What Is The Song In The 'Wi Wi Wi Cat' Memes?
Most "Wi Wi Wi Cat" edits, use the same song: a relaxing composition by Flawed Mangoes called "Dramamine." The track was released back in April 2024 and currently has over 5.2 million views on YouTube and over 24 million streams on Spotify.
For the full history of the Wi Wi Wi Cat, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
