cat tax
/kæt tæks/
Very CommonA photo of your cat that you owe the internet after mentioning them.
Universally positive and enthusiastic. The internet always wants more cat pictures.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | cat tax or it didn't happen | Demanding a cat photo as proof or acknowledgment. | reddit, 2022 |
| 02 | cat tax has been paid. you're welcome. | The person posted the expected cat photos. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | came for the advice, stayed for the cat tax | The cat photos were the best part of the thread. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | first comment is gonna be cat tax so here she is | Preemptively posting cat photos knowing the first reply will demand them. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone mentions their cat but posts no photo.
- Demanding proof of a cat that was brought up in conversation.
- Posting pictures of your cat as required by the custom.
Do not use it when
- You mean dog tax or a different animal.Use “dog-tax” instead.
- You are talking about actual costs related to owning a cat.
Cat tax vs dog tax
Origin and context
A specific application of pet tax focused on cats. Grew out of Reddit's long-running culture of demanding animal photos. Cats being a dominant internet subject made this variant especially popular.
- First seen
- early-2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/cat-taxUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0