Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat (Closed)

Once upon an internet scroll, a very round-eyed black-and-white cat popped up on Bored Panda,
looking like it had just realized someone used the “front” camera by mistake. The prompt was simple:
“Hey Pandas, Photoshop this cat.” The result? Dozens of absurd, brilliant edits that turned one mildly
confused feline into a pirate, a wizard, a celebrity, a meme, and probably your next phone wallpaper.
The official challenge is closed, but the spirit of that cat lives on in every new Photoshop battle,
cat meme, and online art challenge.

In this guide, we’ll unpack what made “Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat” so much fun, why the internet
never gets tired of photoshopped cats, and how you can recreate the same kind of challenge with your
own community. Think of this as a behind-the-scenes tour of cat meme culture, with a side of practical
tips and a big, fluffy dose of creativity.

What Is “Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat”?

“Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat (Closed)” was one of Bored Panda’s community challenges. The concept is
delightfully straightforward: Bored Panda posts a single cat photo with a prompt inviting readers
(aka “Pandas”) to edit it in any funny, magical, or unexpected way. People then upload their creations,
and the community votes, comments, and laughs together.

The original cat image was tailor-made for meme culture: big golden eyes, slightly pouty face, and a body
half-hidden under a blanket or background that’s easy to replace. It’s the kind of photo that practically
begs to be turned into a space traveler, a renaissance painting, or the star of a fake movie poster.
The challenge eventually closed to new submissions, but the gallery of edits remains a time capsule of
internet creativity.

Why The Internet Is Obsessed With Photoshopped Cats

Cats Are The Unofficial Mascot Of The Web

Long before “Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat,” the internet had already crowned cats as its unofficial mascot.
From early LOLcats and “I Can Has Cheezburger?” to viral videos like Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat, felines have
been at the center of meme culture for years. They’re expressive, slightly mysterious, and just unpredictable
enough that we’re never short on strange screenshots and weird freeze-frames.

Cat photos also have a unique emotional range. One image can be used for a dozen moods: panic, excitement,
suspicion, fake confidence, pure chaos. That makes them perfect raw material for image macros, Photoshop
edits, and visual jokes that cross language and culture. A confused cat in the wrong place is instantly
relatable in any country.

From LOLcats To Layer Masks: A Tiny History Of Cat Meme Art

At first, cat memes were mostly text slapped on top of photos. As editing tools became easier to access
and more people learned basic Photoshop skills, the joke evolved. Suddenly, cats weren’t just reacting
to situations – they were being composited into them.

Online Photoshop battles, hybrid animals (like cats mixed with birds, seals, or hippos), and entire feeds
of surreal cat edits became a normal part of internet culture. A simple “photoshop this cat” prompt fits
perfectly into that history: it invites everyone to remix a shared image, turning one ordinary photo into
a whole universe of visual punchlines.

Inside The Bored Panda Cat Photoshop Challenge

The Original Photo: A Face Made For Memes

The starring cat in this challenge looks both innocent and slightly offended, like it just got caught
thinking about knocking your laptop off the table. Its round eyes and almost symmetrical markings give
editors a clean, striking focal point. Because the background is simple, it’s easy to cut the cat out,
drop it into any environment, and build an entire story around that tiny face.

That’s part of the magic of a good Photoshop prompt: the base image has to be clear, expressive, and
flexible. A busy background or awkward lighting makes editing harder. A simple, well-lit cat photo,
on the other hand, is like a blank canvas with whiskers.

Light Rules, Big Creativity

Bored Panda’s “Hey Pandas” series usually keeps rules pretty simple. Think along the lines of:
keep it appropriate, don’t scribble all over the original beyond recognition, and feel free to use
whatever tools you have – professional software, drawing apps, or even hand-drawn edits photographed and
uploaded.

That light-touch structure is important. Too many rules, and a challenge feels like homework. Too few,
and people aren’t sure what to do. A clear prompt (“Photoshop this cat into something funny or magical”)
plus a few gentle guardrails is enough to invite creativity without intimidating beginners.

The Funniest Kinds Of Edits People Make

While each submission is unique, certain themes tend to pop up again and again in cat Photoshop challenges:

• Fantasy scenes: the cat turned into a wizard, dragon rider, or constellation in the night sky.
• Pop culture mashups: the cat as a movie star, comic book hero, or internet celebrity.
• Hybrid creatures: cat-bird, cat-mermaid, cat-dinosaur – if it has a body, someone has probably put a cat head on it.
• Everyday absurdity: the cat working at a desk job, running a coffee shop, or photobombing famous landmarks.

The best edits aren’t always the most technically perfect. Often, the winning images are the ones with
the clearest idea: a clever visual pun, a simple surprise, or a twist you notice a second after the image
loads. Good concept beats fancy filters almost every time.

What We Can Learn From One Photoshopped Cat

A Low-Pressure Way To Practice Creative Skills

A prompt like “Photoshop this cat” is secretly a mini design school. You get a fixed starting image, so you
don’t have to worry about photography. Instead, you can focus on skills such as:

• Cutting out complex shapes like fur using masks or selection tools.
• Matching lighting and shadows when you place the cat into a new environment.
• Adjusting color and contrast so the composite feels believable (or intentionally surreal).
• Adding text in a way that complements the joke instead of overpowering it.

Because the subject is funny and low-stakes, people are more willing to experiment. If it looks weird,
that’s part of the charm. No one expects photorealistic movie posters from a cat meme – they’re just
happy you joined the chaos.

Shared Prompts Build Real Online Communities

Challenges like this are also community glue. Everyone works from the same starting photo, so there’s
an immediate sense of connection: “Oh, you used the same cat but turned it into a rock star, while I
made it a space explorer.” Comment sections fill with inside jokes, running gags, and good-natured
one-upmanship.

Over time, these shared creative rituals make online spaces feel less like anonymous feeds and more like
recurring hangouts. People start recognizing usernames, cheering on favorite contributors, and coming back
whenever a new prompt drops. The cat may be the star, but the real value is the community built around it.

Why Silly Projects Are Surprisingly Good For You

It’s easy to dismiss meme challenges as “just wasting time,” but playful creativity has real benefits.
Working on a ridiculous cat edit gives your brain a break from doomscrolling, stress, and perfectionism.
You’re focusing, making choices, solving little visual problems – all without the pressure of grades,
clients, or metrics.

For people who struggle to start “serious” art projects, a goofy, themed challenge can be the perfect
gateway. It’s much less intimidating to say, “I’m going to turn this cat into a wizard for fun,” than,
“I’m going to create a polished illustration for my portfolio.” And yet, both activities sharpen the
same creative muscles.

How To Recreate A “Photoshop This Cat” Challenge Yourself

Step 1: Choose Your Feline Muse

Start with a high-quality photo of a cat. Ideally, you want:

• Clear lighting and minimal shadows.
• A simple background that’s easy to remove or replace.
• A strong expression – curious, grumpy, shocked, smug, or dramatically bored.

You can use your own cat, a shelter cat (with permission), or a royalty-free stock image. The more
expressive the face, the more versatile the meme. Think big eyes, interesting markings, or an unusual
pose.

Step 2: Pick Your Tools (They Don’t Need To Be Fancy)

Despite the name “Photoshop battle,” you don’t actually need Adobe Photoshop to join the fun. Many
creators use:

• Free photo editors like GIMP, Photopea, or Pixlr.
• Tablet apps like Procreate, ibisPaint, or Medibang Paint.
• Even simple mobile apps with layers and cut-out tools.

What matters most is that you can work with layers and erase or mask parts of the image. The rest is
up to your imagination. If you’re running a community challenge, encourage people to use whatever tools
they feel comfortable with – traditional art included. Hand-drawn edits photographed or scanned can be
just as hilarious.

Step 3: Brainstorm Ridiculous Scenarios

To get ideas flowing, try one of these prompts:

• Swap the setting: Put the cat somewhere impossible – floating in space, lounging in a Van Gogh painting, or ruling over a tiny fantasy village.
• Change the species: Turn the cat into a hybrid with a bird, fish, dinosaur, or unexpected animal body.
• Give it a job: Imagine the cat as a chef, astronaut, therapist, barista, or world-famous DJ.
• Lean into emotion: Whatever expression the cat already has, exaggerate it with props and background details.

Once you have a concept, keep the edit focused. One strong idea is more powerful than ten half-baked ones.
If the cat is now a superhero, make sure the costume, environment, and colors all support that story.

Step 4: Share It With Your Own “Pandas”

When your masterpiece is ready, share it where your community hangs out: Instagram, X (Twitter), Reddit,
Discord, a classroom forum, or your own blog. Use a consistent tag – something like
#PhotoshopThisCat plus your name or brand – so people can browse all the entries in one place.

If you’re hosting the challenge, set a clear start and end date, highlight a few favorites (not just the
most technically polished), and encourage participants to leave kind, specific comments. The goal is to
make people feel excited to try again, not scared to post at all.

What It’s Like To Photoshop This Cat: A Playful Walkthrough

Let’s imagine you’re discovering “Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat” for the first time. You click the post,
and there it is: one extremely round-eyed cat staring at you like you’ve just opened the fridge and
forgotten to share. Underneath, you see the prompt inviting you to edit the image and the long scroll of
submissions that came before you – some brilliant, some bizarre, all very, very online.

At first, it’s a little intimidating. You spot a perfectly rendered fantasy illustration where the same
cat is now a galaxy-roaming sorcerer. You see another where it’s piloting a tiny airplane over a city
skyline. Someone else has turned the cat into a Renaissance noble, complete with lace collar and oil-paint
texture. But then you also see a few rough-around-the-edges edits: the cat copy-pasted into a famous movie
scene with slightly crunchy edges, or a doodle version drawn over the photo with bright neon colors.
That’s when it clicks – this isn’t an exam, it’s a playground.

You download the original cat image and open your editor of choice. At first, you overthink it. Should
you make a subtle, clever visual pun? A deep pop-culture reference? A high-concept commentary on the
internet age? Then the cat’s face pops up in your workspace, looking mildly offended that you’re taking
this so seriously, and you decide to just have fun.

Maybe you start by cutting the cat out of the background, carefully tracing around its fur. It’s awkward
at first, but as you refine the mask, the shape becomes cleaner. You drop it onto a new background – say,
a dramatic stormy sky – and the mood changes instantly. You adjust the colors so the cat matches the
lighting. You add tiny details: a cape fluttering, a glow behind the eyes, a ridiculous crown sitting
just a bit crooked.

Halfway through, you notice you’re smiling. You’re focused, tweaking little details, but you’re also
laughing at how absurd the whole premise is. You try one version, then another, experimenting with
filters or brushes you’ve never touched before. You realize that, without meaning to, you’ve just spent
an hour practicing composition, color theory, and visual storytelling – all because of a chubby cat.

When you finally upload your edit back to the challenge, you hit “publish” with the same nervous energy
you’d have sending a text to a crush. Will anyone like it? Will they get the joke? After a while,
comments start trickling in. Someone says the expression is perfect for the scenario you chose. Another
person riffs on your idea in their own edit. You find yourself scrolling back often, not just to check
on your submission, but to see what others are doing with the same base image.

That’s the real magic of “Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat.” Yes, there’s a hilarious before-and-after
transformation for one lucky feline. But the deeper experience is communal: you’re collaborating on a
giant, unspoken story where everyone uses the same main character and sends them on wildly different
adventures. Long after the challenge closes, you still remember the feeling of participating – the small
win of finishing an edit, the surprise of seeing your idea land with strangers, and the comforting
reminder that the internet isn’t just outrage and hot takes. Sometimes, it’s just people bonding over a
very photogenic cat.

Conclusion: One Cat, Infinite Stories

“Hey Pandas, Photoshop This Cat (Closed)” may be over, but its influence lives on in every new Photoshop
battle, meme challenge, and cat-centric art prompt. It showed how a single image can spark thousands of
ideas, how humor and creativity can pull strangers together, and how something as small as a silly edit
can make someone’s day a little lighter.

Whether you’re a seasoned designer or someone who’s just curious about digital art, recreating a “photoshop
this cat” challenge is an easy way to practice skills, build community, and celebrate the wonderfully weird
side of internet culture. One cat, many layers, endless possibilities.