# Grumpy Cat

> A family cat's first YouTube video drew more than 1.5 million views in 36 hours.

- Owner: Tabatha Bundesen
- Kind: Meme & format
- Sector: Culture (no sector)
- Seed date: 2012-09-23
- Milestone date: 2013-03-09
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 25 (Niche, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

Family photos on Reddit became a remix thread: Camblor and WhipIash linked photo edits while other replies linked caption generators. Videos, a website and merchandise followed; SXSW visitors later queued to meet Grumpy Cat.

## Timeline

- 2012-09-23 — Bryan Bundesen (Reddit) — Bryan Bundesen shared photographs of Tardar Sauce on Reddit.
- 2012-09-23 — Bryan Bundesen (YouTube) — The family uploaded video clips of the cat as viewers questioned the photographs.
- 2012-09-27 — The Bundesen family (Open web) — The family created Grumpycats.com.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/grumpy-cat

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Grumpy Cat.” Case HIS-01038. Spread Score v1.2: 25/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01038