About

Cat In Sofa is a piece of art by Martin Leman illustrated in 1980 depicting a black cat lounging on a red sofa while wearing a boa and pearl necklace, smoking a cigarette and drinking a cocktail. In late October through November 2024, the artwork became the subject of memes set to the song "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)" by The Adventures of Stevie B on TIkTok, in which users use the cat to represent themselves or how they feel after doing or not doing a certain task. The artwork is part of Leman's book "Starcats."

Origin

In 1980, artist Martin Leman released an art book titled "Starcats" filled with illustrations of cats. One of these art pieces is titled "Cat In Sofa" and depicts a black cat lounging on a sofa with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in another, wearing a boa and a pearl necklace. The print is available on Neon Talk.^[1]

2024 TikTok Memes

On October 19th, 2024, TikToker^[2] @annalefied posted a meme consisting of the artwork set to "Dirty Cash" by The Adventures of Stevie B, captioned, "This is how I picture myself in my 60s while my grandkids unpack their Christmas gifts," garnering over 4.1 million views in two weeks. This is the earliest known example of the meme on TikTok.

Spread

The artwork continued to inspire memes throughout late October 2024 leading into November. On October 21st, 2024, TikToker^[3] @chayexnyc posted a version of the meme reading, "How i would Watch my son Get beat up by His girlfriend for cheating," garnering over 3.2 million views in two weeks.

On October 22nd, TikToker^[4] @poppygracedundon posted a version of the meme reading, "how id look watching my son get slapped by his gf for liking a girls Instagram," garnering over 6.5 million views in the same span of time.

On October 27th, TikToker^[5] @itsmisaaa posted a slideshow of themselves painting their cat in the style of the artwork, garnering over 3 million views in a week.

On November 1st, TikToker^[6] @kaktunnaa posted a meme using both the original artwork and the drawing by @itsmisaaa

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References