Introduction

I Should Buy a Boat Cat is a popular meme that features a cat in a suit sitting at a table and reading a newspaper, often accompanied by humorous captions expressing whimsical desires.

Background

The meme, also known as 'Sophisticated Cat' or 'Fancy Cat,' showcases an image of a cat dressed in formal attire, typically seated at a table with a newspaper. The captions often reflect various realizations or aspirations, predominantly utilizing the snowclone template 'I should buy a X.'

How It Began

The origins of this meme trace back to a music video for Bjork's song 'Triumph of the Heart,' directed by Spike Jonze and released in January 2005. In the video, a cat, portrayed as Bjork's anthropomorphic husband, is seen sitting at a table, sipping coffee, and reading a newspaper while dressed in a blue shirt (notably at 3:56 of the video). On February 2, 2012, Redditor DrTango submitted a post titled 'I’ll just leave this here' to the /r/funny subreddit, featuring a screen capture of this cat with the caption 'I should buy a boat.' The post garnered over 12,350 upvotes and 165 comments before it was archived.

Meme Evolution

The meme quickly gained traction after its initial posting. On February 3, 2012, the humor site 9gag reposted DrTango's image macro, which received more than 40,400 upvotes and 4,200 shares on Facebook in the following nine months. On February 9, the image made its way to College Humor, further spreading its reach. In August 2012, the meme was referenced in an episode of the YouTube show Game Grumps. On September 10, Redditor RoTTaax posted another variation titled 'How I feel when I post a long comment that gets 3 upvotes' on the /r/AdviceAnimals subreddit, featuring the cat with the caption 'I should write a book,' which achieved over 9,900 upvotes and 45 comments within a month. On November 6, Redditor bathroomstalin submitted an image macro with the caption 'We've all thought about it,' while another user, TwoSwords, created a photoshopped version depicting the cat wearing a horse mask, both posts quickly achieving thousands of upvotes within 24 hours.