Bad Advice Cat Meme Template
Bad Advice Cat is an advice animal image macro featuring a cat photo overlaid on a colored background. The format subverts the advice animal genre by presenting suggestions that sound reasonable at first but quickly reveal themselves as terrible, dangerous, or absurd ideas. It is used to mock poor decision-making, reckless behavior, and the kind of logic that seems compelling in the moment but obviously goes wrong.
Caption this template- Category
- Animal Meme Templates
- Size
- 500 x 500 px
- Format
- Image
- Price
- Free, no sign up
Where the Bad Advice Cat meme comes from
The template is part of the early 2010s wave of advice animal memes that originated on Reddit, particularly in subreddits like r/AdviceAnimals. The specific cat photo used varies by version, but the format follows the same rainbow or solid-color wheel background established by Advice Dog, the original advice animal from 2006.
How to caption the Bad Advice Cat meme
Write a first line that sounds like a genuinely reasonable tip, then undercut it with a second line that reveals the advice is reckless or idiotic. For example, pair 'Save money on groceries' with 'by eating your neighbor's food while they're at work.' Open it in the meme generator, or read the wholesome meme guide for more.
Bad Advice Cat caption ideas
Need a starting point? Try one of these on the Bad Advice Cat template, then make it your own in the meme generator.
- Top: Get more sleep / Bottom: by quitting your job, the alarm, and all responsibilities
- Top: Save money on car repairs / Bottom: by ignoring the check engine light until the noise stops
- Top: Cut down on screen time / Bottom: by throwing your phone into a lake
- Top: Improve your credit score / Bottom: by simply not looking at it
- Top: Beat the heat this summer / Bottom: by leaving the freezer door open all day
Best uses for the Bad Advice Cat template
Use the Bad Advice Cat template when the joke fits a animal format and the image can explain the feeling before the reader finishes the caption. It is strongest for cute reactions, chaotic moods, and warm low-stakes jokes.
This blank is 500 x 500 px and is a still image, so place the most important words where they stay readable after a feed crop. The near-square frame is flexible for feeds, group chats, Reddit, and Discord.
The sample captions leave room for a setup and a punchline without turning into a paragraph. Before exporting, read the caption once without looking at the image; if it still needs a long explanation, switch to a simpler setup or a more obvious related template.
Caption patterns to try
| Pattern | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Top: Get more sleep / Bottom: by quitting your job, the alarm, and all responsibilities | This works because it gives the reader a specific situation instead of a vague label. |
| Top: Save money on car repairs / Bottom: by ignoring the check engine light until the noise stops | This pattern keeps the setup concrete, which helps the template carry the reaction. |
| Top: Cut down on screen time / Bottom: by throwing your phone into a lake | This is a useful direction when you want the punchline to feel personal or self-aware. |
Common mistakes with this blank
- Writing a caption that explains the whole joke instead of letting the Bad Advice Cat image do part of the work.
- Placing text over the most expressive part of the image, especially faces, gestures, signs, or the main action.
- Using three different ideas in one meme. This template works better when it points at one clear situation.
- Exporting before checking the meme at phone size. If the smallest words blur together, shorten the caption first.
