Slang Words for Cat (And How to Use Them)

Written by Gabriel Cruz - Foodie, Animal Lover, Slang & Language Enthusiast

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One of society’s many age-old questions is this: are you a cat person or a dog person?

Our pets are cornerstones in our lives. Whether you’re a cat or dog person (or even both), one thing is true for all pet owners: they love coming home after a long day of work to find their beloved pet waiting for them.

For many people, that pet is a cat. Cats have blown up on the internet in recent years for their adorable faces, bizarre behavior, and wide range of temperaments. There are a lot of slang words for cat and cat behaviors that can be confusing to some. We’ll describe and define a bunch of terms for you below.


Table of Contents

Slang Words for Cat (in Alphabetical Order)

B

Ballarat

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Australian slang word for cat. You can use this any time you would say the word cat.

Blep

Meaning:

  • (Verb): When a cat’s tongue gets partially stuck out of its mouth. This often happens after the cat has finished cleaning itself.
  • Example: “Look at this picture of my cat blepping!”

Boop

Meaning:

  • (Verb): Gently touching a cat’s nose. It can also refer to when a cat lightly touches you with its paw.
  • Example: “I can’t resist booping the nose of every cat I meet.”  

C

Cat Lady

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A woman who is really into cats. She may have one or she may have several – what matters most is that she’s extremely passionate about them. The implication of this term is that she’s single and lonely, so she’s filled the void with cats.
  • Example: “Amelia is a crazy cat lady who lives with 16 cats.”

Cat Loaf

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A position a cat sometimes settles into in which their paws are tucked under their body, forming a shape that resembles a loaf of bread.
  • Example: My precious Pita loves to make himself into a cat loaf.”

Cattitude

Meaning:

  • (Noun): The stereotypical aloof, judgmental attitude of the average cat.
  • Example: “Benjamin has a real cattitude. He won’t even look at me when I call his name.”

Caturday

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Combination of the words “cat” and “Saturday.” In online communities, this typically refers to a day of the week in which users are encouraged to post pictures of their cats.
  • Example: “Thank god it’s Caturday!”

Chonk

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A cat that is very chubby.
  • Example: “Look at this adorable chonk. I just want to pinch his whiskery cheeks.”

Cool Cat

Meaning:

  • (Noun): This isn’t used to refer to a cat. Rather, it’s old-fashioned slang that can be applied to a person who’s suave and smooth.
  • Example: “Eric is a real cool cat. I love hanging out with him.”

D

Dingleberry

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Clumps of hair and poop that can get stuck on a cat’s butt fur. The fluffier the cat, the worse the dingleberries.
  • Example: “My cat, Luna, is really soft and fluffy…but this also means she gets the worst dingleberries.”

F

Fat Cat

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Like cool cat, this term isn’t used to refer to an actual cat. You can use the phrase fat cat to refer to an overly rich, privileged person. Generally, this person has political influence.
  • Example: “Corporate fat cats have been known to bribe politicians to get favorable laws passed.”

Floof

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Another way of saying fluff. Can be used to describe a cat that is extraordinarily fluffy.
  • Example: “Look at the floof on my cat. Isn’t he so cute?”

G

Gato

Meaning:

  • (Noun): The Spanish word for cat. It’s often used by English speakers, too. You can use it any time you would otherwise say the word cat.

K

Kitter

Meaning:

  • (Noun): An alternative way of saying cat. Can be said at any time you would say cat.

Kitty

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Another alternative way of saying cat. You can use it similarly to kitter or cat.

Kitty-Sit

Meaning:

  • (Verb): Watching someone’s cat while they’re away. Like babysitting, except you’re taking care of a cat instead.
  • Example: “Our friends asked us to kitty-sit while they’re taking their vacation.”

L

Lolspeak

Meaning:

  • (Noun): An online way of speaking that evolved from text used in cat memes. “I can haz cheeseburger” may be one of the earliest examples. It’s basically an outdated meme.
  • Example: “I are teh smartest cat.”

Planning on having a cat-themed party? Here are some slang words for party that you can put on the invites!


M

Making Biscuits

Meaning:

  • (Verb): When a cat is happy and kneads its paws. The motion makes it look as if the cat is kneading bread, which is where the phrase comes from.
  • Example: “Aww, Macy is making biscuits on my pillow.”

Mlem

Meaning:

  • (Verb): When a cat licks its nose or anything that makes it stick its tongue out and up.
  • Example: “A cat mleming too often can be a symptom of stress.”

Moggy

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A somewhat uncommon slang term for cat. Can be used like kitty, kitter, or cat.

N

Neko

Meaning:

  • (Noun): The Japanese word for cat. You’re not as likely to see this in common slang, but it sees a little use.

P

Purrfect

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): A play on the words “purr” and “perfect.” Generally used to describe something your cat did well.
  • Example: “My cat has a purrfect pattern in his fur.”

Read Also: Slang Words for Friends

Purrito

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Term that refers to a cat that has been swaddled in a blanket or towel so that it looks like a burrito. Owners and vets will do this to trim nails or clean the cat’s face.
  • Example: “I had to make my cat into a purrito so I could cut her nails.”

Puss

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Old-fashioned slang for cat. Nowadays, saying puss or pussy has other connotations, so you may want to be careful when using this word.

S

Smol

Meaning:

  • (Adjective): Cutesy way of referencing a tiny cat’s size or some aspect of the cat that is below average in size.
  • Example: “Mango has such smol toe beans that I love to poke.”

T

Teefies

Meaning:

  • (Noun): The small teeth between a cat’s canines in the front of their mouth. You can also just call a cat’s teeth in general by this term.
  • Example: “Chewy hates when we brush her teefies.”

Toe Beans

Meaning:

  • (Noun): A cat’s paw pads. Pictures of toe beans are often highly prized.
  • Example: “I love looking at pictures of cats’ toe beans.”

Tortie

Meaning:

  • (Noun): Slang term for a tortoiseshell cat. Torties have predominantly black fur with orange patches.
  • Example: “Harley is a sweet tortie up for adoption at the shelter.”

Wrap Up

Given their tremendous popularity online, it’s not shocking at all that there’s a huge community dedicated to cats. Cat owners and fans around the world have developed a huge lexicon of cat-related terms that can be applied to these fluffy and adorable household pets.

Cats aren’t the only things people like to baby talk to and spoil, though. There are also actual babies to consider! You can learn some terms for babies in our list of slang words for baby.

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