Cat Kaomoji: Copy and Paste Cute Kitty Faces
Cat kaomoji are text faces made from keyboard and Unicode characters, usually with ^ ^ ears, = = whiskers and a tiny ω mouth. Tap any face to copy it: . Below are 70+ kitty faces sorted by mood, with what each one means and when to use it.
Every face on this page copies with a single click or tap, so you can paste it straight into a chat, caption or bio. Looking for other moods? Try the free kaomoji copy tool on our homepage.
Cat Kaomoji List by Mood
Classic and Happy Cat Kaomoji
These are the faces most people picture when they think of a text cat. They are friendly, safe in almost any chat, and built from characters that display on nearly every device.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| The classic whiskered cat with a calm, friendly look | Saying hi, signing off, or adding warmth to any message | |
| A smaller, simpler version of the classic cat | Short replies, usernames or bios where space is tight | |
| A big, open-mouthed grin | Sharing good news or reacting with excitement | |
| Eyes closed with a happy smile | Saying thank you or showing you feel content |
Paws-Up Cat Kaomoji
The ฅ symbol looks like a little raised paw, so these faces read as a cat reaching out, pawing at the screen, or asking for attention.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A cat holding up both paws | A cute hello, or asking someone to notice you | |
| A whiskered cat with paws raised playfully | Playful moments, or a “pick me!” message | |
| Paws held close to the face, a little shy | Feeling bashful, or making a polite request |
Waving, Greeting and Hugging Cats
Symbols like ﾉ, ノ and ヾ work as little arms. Use these faces to say hello or goodbye, or to send a virtual hug.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A wide-eyed, casual wave | Popping into a group chat to say hi | |
| A cheerful wave with a small “o” mouth | A quick “hey!” or “bye!” | |
| A cat with its arms open wide | Sending a virtual hug |
Love and Affection Cat Kaomoji
These faces have heart eyes, kisses or a ♡ after them. They suit partners, close friends and anyone you’re openly fond of.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A cat with heart eyes | Gushing over a photo, a gift or a crush | |
| A cat blowing a kiss | A goodnight or “miss you” message to a partner | |
| A blissful cat with closed eyes and a heart | Warm thanks or a cozy, affectionate moment |
Sleepy and Cozy Cat Kaomoji
Closed or half-closed eyes and a trailing “zzZ” make a napping cat. They’re good for bedtime messages and lazy days.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A dozing cat with closed eyes | Saying you’re tired or heading to bed | |
| A cat that’s fast asleep | Saying goodnight, or replying “I’m out” late at night | |
| A relaxed, contented cat | Lazy weekends, warm drinks, a cozy mood |
Grumpy and Angry Cat Kaomoji
Slanted brows like ` and ´ make the cat cross. These faces work best for playful complaints. They are too cute to carry real anger.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A grumpy, annoyed cat | Joking about small frustrations, like a Monday or a late bus | |
| A hissing cat flailing its paws | Playful outrage, such as a friend spoiling a show | |
| A cat gritting its teeth | Being dramatically fed up, in a joking way |
Surprised and Curious Cat Kaomoji
Big round eyes turn the cat startled, curious or shocked. The bigger the eyes, the bigger the reaction.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A startled cat | A “wait, what?” reaction | |
| A wide-eyed, staring cat | Being intrigued, or waiting for the rest of a story | |
| A shocked cat with its mouth wide open | Big surprises and jaw-dropping news |
Sad and Crying Cat Kaomoji
Tears show up as ；, T or ಥ in the eye spots. Some of these faces can also mean happy tears, so context matters.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A teary, sad cat | Reacting to disappointing news | |
| A cat with tears streaming down | Dramatic sadness, or being overwhelmed with joy | |
| A cat holding back tears | Feeling touched or moved by a kind message |
Smug, Sneaky and Mischievous Cats
Narrow or glinting eyes give the cat a “plotting something” look. They’re perfect for teasing friends.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| Glinting cat eyes, up to something | Teasing, or hinting “I have a plan” | |
| A smug, satisfied cat | A playful “told you so” |
Aesthetic and Minimal Cat Kaomoji
These softer, simpler cats are popular in bios and captions. Some use less common symbols, so preview them before you post (see the FAQ below).
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A side view of a sitting cat | Profile bios and minimal, aesthetic captions | |
| A soft cat face with pointy ears | Cozy posts and cute display names |
Old-School Keyboard Cats
These cats use only basic keyboard characters, so they work almost anywhere, even in plain-text email and old forums.
| Kaomoji | Meaning | Best used when |
|---|---|---|
| A classic ASCII cat face | Anywhere special symbols might not display | |
| A cat with ears and a whiskered muzzle | Plain-text signatures and comments |
How to Pick the Right Cat Face
A cat kaomoji makes a message softer and more playful. That is useful, but it also changes how seriously people read you. Match the face to the person and the moment.
- With friends: Almost anything goes. Grumpy, smug and dramatic crying cats are fun here because your friends know you’re joking.
- With a partner: Love, kiss and sleepy faces fit naturally, like a kiss cat at bedtime. Skip the grumpy cat during a real disagreement. A cute face can feel dismissive when someone is actually upset.
- In work chats (Slack, Teams): Stick to one mild, friendly face such as the classic cat, and only where your team already uses casual tone. Avoid hearts, kisses and angry faces with managers or clients.
- In captions and bios: One face usually looks better than several. Aesthetic and minimal cats suit bios; classic cats suit captions.
Cat Faces That Are Easy to Mix Up
Many cat kaomoji look similar at a glance, but small details change the mood.
- (=^・ω・^=) vs. (=^ω^=): The first has dot eyes and looks calm and attentive. The second has ^ eyes, which read as eyes squeezed shut in happiness.
- (=`ω´=) vs. (=`皿´=): Both are cross, but the 皿 mouth shows gritted teeth, so it reads as angrier. Use the ω version for mild annoyance.
- (=-ω-=)zzZ vs. (=￣ω￣=): Without the zzZ, half-closed eyes can look smug or unimpressed rather than sleepy. Add the zzZ if you mean tired.
- (=；ω；=) vs. (=T ω T=): The ； eyes are plainly sad. T-shaped tears are more dramatic and are often used for happy tears too, such as “you remembered my birthday.”
- (=ΦωΦ=) vs. (=⊙ω⊙=): Φ eyes look like glinting cat eyes, which suggests scheming. ⊙ eyes are simply wide open, which suggests surprise or staring.
Using Cat Kaomoji on WhatsApp, Discord, Instagram, TikTok and X
WhatsApp turns text wrapped in * into bold, _ into italic and ~ into strikethrough. If a face with those symbols suddenly loses characters or changes style, send it on its own line, add a space next to the symbol, or pick a version without them. See our kaomoji for WhatsApp guide for more chat-friendly faces.
Discord
Discord uses Markdown, and that is the most common reason a cat face breaks. A pair of asterisks or underscores around text becomes italic, so ฅ(*°ω°*ฅ) can lose its asterisks. Two backticks in one message turn the text between them into code, which matters if you send two grumpy cats like (=`ω´=) together. A backslash also disappears when it sits right before a symbol like _ or *. To keep a face intact, type a backslash before the problem symbol, or wrap the face in backticks (this won’t work for faces that contain backticks). Browse more ready-to-use options in our Discord kaomoji collection.
Instagram and TikTok
Kaomoji work in bios, captions and comments. They count toward bio limits, and a long face uses up space fast; Instagram bios currently allow 150 characters and TikTok bios 80. Some decorative symbols can display differently on other people’s phones, so check your profile from a second device if you can.
X (Twitter)
X counts many non-Latin characters, including Japanese kana, as two characters toward the post limit. A face like ヾ(=^・ω・^=)ノ therefore uses more of your limit than its length suggests. Plain keyboard cats such as =^..^= are the most space-efficient.
How a Cat Kaomoji Is Built
Once you know the parts, you can read any cat face or make your own. Most cat kaomoji combine a few pieces:
- Ears: ^ ^ are the usual ears. Aesthetic styles use the slanted shapes ᐠ and ᐟ instead.
- Whiskers: = = on each side are what make the face read clearly as a cat rather than a person.
- Eyes: These carry the emotion. ・ is calm, ^ is happy, - is sleepy, ♡ is in love, ； is crying and Φ is mischievous.
- Mouth: ω, the Greek letter omega, is the classic cat mouth. ェ (a Japanese katakana character), ‥, ▽ and 皿 change the expression.
- Paws and arms: ฅ, an old Thai letter, is used as a paw. ﾉ, ノ and ヾ act as waving arms.
- Extras: zzZ for sleep, ♡ for love and ~ for a tail or a playful wiggle.
To make your own, keep the frame (=^ ω ^=) and swap only the eyes. For example, putting ◉ in the eye spots gives a surprised cat.
Cat Kaomoji FAQ
What is the classic cat kaomoji?
The classic cat kaomoji is . The ^ marks are the ears, the = signs are whiskers, the ・ dots are eyes and ω forms the small cat mouth. A shorter version, , works when you have less space.
What does the ω mean in cat kaomoji?
ω is the Greek lowercase letter omega. In kaomoji its curved shape looks like a cat’s mouth and nose, so it appears in many cat faces, such as . Some cat faces use the Japanese katakana ェ instead, as in .
What is the ฅ symbol in cat kaomoji?
ฅ is an old letter from the Thai alphabet. Its shape looks like a small raised paw, so shows a cat holding up both paws. Modern iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac devices include Thai fonts, so it usually displays correctly.
How do I type cat kaomoji on my phone?
The easiest way is to copy a face from a page like this one and paste it. On iPhone, you can also save a favorite under Settings, General, Keyboard, Text Replacement, so typing a shortcut like kitty inserts the full face. On Android, Gboard includes a section of ready-made text faces inside its emoji panel.
Why does a cat kaomoji show as boxes or question marks?
Empty boxes mean the device or app font has no character for one of the symbols. Faces built from common characters, such as or , display almost everywhere. More decorative faces that use rare symbols, like , can fail on older phones or some apps, so preview them before posting.
Why does my cat kaomoji look different after I send it on Discord?
Discord reads some symbols as formatting. A pair of asterisks or underscores around text turns it italic, and a backslash disappears when it comes right before a symbol like an underscore. Put a backslash in front of the symbol, or wrap the face in backticks, to keep it intact.
Are cat kaomoji the same as cat emoji?
No. A cat emoji such as 😺 is a single picture character that looks different on Apple, Google and Samsung devices. A cat kaomoji is built from several ordinary text characters, so it looks like typed text, can be changed by swapping the eyes or mouth, and works in places that do not show emoji in color.
Find Your Cat
Start with the classic when you’re unsure, then pick a face from the mood sections when you want something more specific: sleepy, smug, grumpy or in love. Keep plain keyboard cats in mind for places where symbols might break. For more animal faces and every other mood, explore our free kaomoji copy tool.
Open the kaomoji tool
