Why Are Cats So Obsessed With This Brain-Rot Video?

2024 was the year of brain rot! At least that’s what the people behind the Oxford English Dictionary said. They named “brain rot” the word/phrase of the year, after its usage frequency increased by 230 percent between 2023 and 2024. Oxford defines ”brain rot” as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.” And after just doing a quick scan of current events so far in 2025, it’s clear we may be headed for another year of staring into space and letting our minds deteriorate.

The first recorded use of “brain rot” was in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, but it has taken on new significance since the advent of social media and endless scrolling. You know when you lose three hours of your life to watching nonsense on your phone? That’s brain rot — and it’s something anyone reading this article has probably been guilty of on more than one occasion. But what about cats?

Recently, clips of kitties completely mesmerized by this bright-green cat brain-rot video have gone viral on social media, racking up millions of views. It appears teens’ obsession with “Skibidi Toilet” (a brain-rot video that is beyond explanation), has led to the expansion of brain-rot content on the internet, and now the cats can get in on the action. But the real question is do cats really experience brain rot in the human sense or something else?

“To me, it looks like these cats are having a predatory response,” says Stephen Quandt, feline training and behavior expert. “Motion triggers a cat’s need to hunt, and you can see the cat’s eyes are dilated, which means they are trying to gather informat

ion. This happens when they are scared, but also when they are curious or playful or ready to hunt.” It doesn’t happen when they are zoning out.

Why this video?

“They probably just like it because it’s got lots of movement and sound effects and it’s bright,” Quandt says. “It’s like watching an animal through a window — a virtual squirrel, of sorts, with sound effects.”

Of course, cats can only see in muted shades of blue, yellow, and gray, so the vibrancy of the lime green background in the videos could be lost on them, but it does allow the spinning cat placed on top of it to pop. If the spinning cat was placed on a busy, photographic background or a more muted background, it might not stand out as much and would be less engaging.

Cats also have extremely sensitive hearing, so the audio accompanying the video may be particularly arousing. “Some cats really respond to certain frequencies,” Quandt says. “For instance, one of my cats is fascinated by the sort of tinny sound of a human voice coming through the phone and will often come over to investigate.”

Is screen time good for cats?

The idea that cats are even capable of brain rot comes at a time when cat screen and tech use is on the rise, with many apps and videos designed specifically to keep cats entertained. 

But while excessive screen time is generally agreed to be bad for human children, it’s probably not a concern for cats, especially if, as a cat parent, you don’t try to use screens to replace real-world play. “What we’re really talking about here is enrichment,” Quandt says. “And when it comes to enrichment, we really can’t ever give them too much, so videos like these are fine, as long as they don’t cause them stress or upset. As long as they are entertained, it’s fine.” 

Of course, even if you did leave screens on for your cat all day, they probably wouldn’t remain engaged with them for very long, let alone to the point where they got brain rot. “Cats don’t have long attention spans, so it’s unlikely that they would watch for hours, even if given the chance,” Quandt says. 

Are cats even capable of brain rot?

Human brain rot is usually characterized by a sort of zombie-like lethargy and generalized disinterest in whatever is happening not on our phones. But the cats in these videos are keyed up and dialed in, which is pretty much the opposite of brain rot.

And the fact that people are calling it brain rot is really just another example of anthropomorphising (aka assigning human characteristics to non-humans). “We all do it,” Quandt says. “We can’t help it. And it’s largely harmless, but it does distort the picture of what is actually going on, since, ultimately, all we can do is observe a cat’s behavior. We can never know what is actually going on inside their heads.”

It’s certainly possible for a cat to zone out watching nothing in particular for hours at a time, but that’s not the same as scrolling through low-quality content on your phone to anesthetize yourself to the horrors and drudgery of the news cycle.

If your cat is truly lethargic, this could indicate an underlying health issue, so it’s best to keep an eye on their activity levels. Get them checked out by a vet if you notice a change. Now, if you don’t mind, all this talk of brain rot has me jonesing for a few mindless hours of cat videos on TikTok. See you on the other side, and happy rotting!