45 Of The Funniest Cat Bleps Guaranteed To Bring Avid Cat Lovers Joy

It’s a well-established fact that cats rule the Internet. From their toe beans to their tongue tips, netizens can’t seem to get enough of felines doing their furry thing, whether they’re being graceful, derpy, or just going plain crazy.

One subreddit, r/Blep, has been collecting pics of cats blepping for over a decade now, and the community is nearly half a million members strong. If you still don’t know what a blep is, keep reading for some of the web’s most endearing examples.

From Foster Kittens On Ig… The Double Blep! Gwen And New Baby

Cat with tongue out, looking relaxed on a red blanket, showcasing a funny cat moment.

A Special Kind Of Blep

Cat with a funny expression, big ears, and tongue sticking out slightly.

The Wedding-Crasher Blep

A funny cat with its tongue out photobombs a couple kissing in a sunny park setting.

Urban Dictionary, the web’s most popular slang resource, defines the word “blep” as, “the act of a cat sticking its tongue out slightly without realizing it, often for long periods of time.” The term was first coined over ten years ago by the creator of the r/Blep subreddit, BillohRly, who also came up with the variations “blop” and “blup” to describe the same behavior in other animals.

This Is Stan. He Survived Being Hit By A Car. He’s Happy & Healthy But He’s Been Left With A Permanent Blep

Black and white cat with its tongue out, wearing a colorful scarf, sitting on a wooden floor.

Just Happened To Have My Camera With Me In The Animal Shelter, When I Was Gifted A Blep From The Heavens

Black and white kitten with tongue sticking out through bars, looking curious.

Dave Cat Blepping Like A Pro

Black and white cat with tongue out, lying on a couch.

But why do cats blep? There are actually several reasons. When cats stick their tongues out, they are literally getting a better sense of their environment by analyzing scents. This is part of the Flehmen response, which aids them in “smelling” through taste when encountering something unusual, like new smells on your shoes or clothes.

Blep Ity Bloop

A cute cat lying on its back with its tongue sticking out, looking playful and funny.

My Old Man Was Born Blind 14 Years Ago, But He Still Bleps Into Your Soul

Cat with tongue out near pink flowers, creating a funny expression.

Incognito Blep

A cat peeks out from behind floral curtains with its tongue sticking out, creating a funny expression.

Bleps also happen when a cat is deeply relaxed, especially during sleep. Their jaws may slacken, letting their tongue slip out—a sign they feel completely safe and comfortable. Certain breeds like Persians or Himalayans are predisposed to blepping because of their facial structure, which makes keeping their tongue inside a bit more challenging.

Trying To Grow A Blep

Black and white cat sitting in a pot with tongue out, in a garden setting.

She Bleps All The Time, But I Can Never Grab My Phone Fast Enough To Take A Pic

Cat with its tongue sticking out, wide eyes looking curious.

October Looks Like A A Scruffy Muppet With A Blep

Fluffy cat with tongue out, sitting beside a wooden chair on a light floor.

Sometimes, blepping can be a sign of dental discomfort, nausea, or even stress. If your cat bleps frequently alongside symptoms like drooling or trouble eating, it may be a sign of a health issue that warrants a trip to the vet – no cat’s favorite activity.

A blep is just the tip of the iceberg of fascinating cat tongue facts. Did you know that a cat’s tongue is coated with tiny, backward-facing spines called papillae? These spines are made of keratin (the same stuff as fingernails) and give the tongue its rough texture. Papillae are essential for grooming, helping the cat remove loose fur while distributing natural oils across their coat.

My One Eyed Blep

Cat with tongue out, lying on carpet, one eye closed, and wearing a blue collar.

Lost My Cranky Angel Yesterday – Here’s Her Angriest Blep. Safe Travels, Chomp Princess

Cat with tongue out, peering over a blue blanket, creating a funny expression.

Guilty Blep

Gray cat with its tongue out sitting on a box with a sign confessing to eating hair elastics.

Our Brand New Little Girl Blepped Injust 4 Days

Cute cat with tongue out lounging on a person's arm next to a remote.

When cats groom, their tongues act as a comb and exfoliator, cleaning dead skin cells and improving their coat’s health. The rough texture can also remove dirt between their toes and help keep wounds clean. Cats’ tongues are highly efficient at lapping up water too – they create a tiny cup-like structure to scoop up liquid quickly and effectively.

Mother Of All Bleps

Cat with tongue sticking out, wearing a pink collar, sitting indoors.

Yr. Ago My Neighbor Saved This Cat Yesterday And Captured A Very Happy Blep :p

A fluffy white cat with its tongue sticking out, creating a funny expression.

Neighbors Threw Their Cat Out In The Winter Because He “Stopped Using The Litterbox”. I Stole Him And He Repayed Me With This Minute Long Blep!

A black and white cat with its tongue sticking out, sitting on a blanket.

She Was Born A Blep. Sun’s Out, Tongues Out!

Cat with tongue out sitting on wooden deck, looking playful.

The popularity of r/Blep is hardly a surprise. A 2015 survey found that cats drove about 15% of all internet traffic. To put that into perspective, of about 4.66 billion people frequently using the web back then, 699 million were, at some point, searching for cats or cat-related topics every month. At the time of writing, Instagram alone turned up 502K posts for the hashtag #blep, signaling its popularity on social media.

In Memoriam Blep. Rip Herman

Funny cat with its tongue out, looking surprised on a plaid chair.

16 Year Old Blep. She’s Taunting Us Because She Knows She’s Not Allowed On The Counter

Calico cat with tongue out, standing on a kitchen counter, looking curious and playful.

My Tuxedo Usually Doesn’t Blep, But This Here Was Caught My The Cat Sitter

A black and white cat with wide eyes sits on a wooden floor with its tongue slightly out.

This Is Missy, She Loves To Blep

Fluffy cat with tongue out, sitting on wooden floor, showcasing a funny and cute expression.

“Look Noodle, That’s You!” Blep

Fluffy cat with tongue out reflected in a round mirror, looking surprised.

YouTube videos featuring felines account for over 26 billion views, making them the single most popular category on the site. While the site actually gets more searches for dogs, cat content gets nearly four times more viral views than content featuring hounds. In 2010, it was estimated that there were about 1.3 billion cat pictures on the internet. Today, that number is expected to be over 6.5 billion. We wonder, just how many of them feature bleps?

Let us know if you enjoyed this list of cats in full derp mode, and don’t forget to upvote for your favorites or leave a comment!