The clapping cat meme (Know Your Meme files it as "Black Cat Clapping") is an AI clip of a black cat that stands up, grins with a row of human teeth and slowly claps a pair of small human hands. It started as an Instagram video on September 25, 2026 and spread on TikTok from the end of September. Most people who see it ask the same thing: can I make my own cat do that?
I built Clapping Cat AI, so I'm biased, but this list is meant to help you pick the right route for what you actually want in your video. I checked the prices below on 2026-11-07 where a price page loaded. Prices change, so check before you pay.
Quick picks
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| The original black cat over your own clip, free | CapCut template |
| A transparent clapping GIF of your cat | catclapping.com |
| Many cheap short tries | LetsMkVideo |
| Your cat or dog clapping in its own room, no account | Clapping Cat AI |
| Full control, and patience | A general AI video app with your own prompt |
1. CapCut "cat clapping meme" template (free)
Open CapCut, go to Templates, search "cat clapping meme", tap Use template, add your clip and export. This puts the original black cat over your own video as a green-screen style reaction. It is free and takes a few minutes.
- Good for: reaction videos where the cat claps at what you filmed.
- Short side: it is the original cat, not your pet. Your cat or dog does not appear clapping.
2. catclapping.com
Checked 2026-11-07. You upload a photo of your cat and get a short green-screen video and a transparent GIF of your cat clapping. The site lists credit packs from $6.99 for 300 credits, with the cat-only video costing 80 credits, and says its ready-made GIFs stay free. You sign in to make one.
- Good for: a clean cutout or GIF you can drop into your own edit.
- Short side: needs an account and credits; the cutout is not your pet in its own room.
3. LetsMkVideo
Checked 2026-11-07. A general AI video site with a clapping cat template. You upload one photo of your pet and choose a scene, including a green-screen version. Credits start at $4.99 for 6 on the pricing page, and new accounts get some free credits.
- Good for: lots of cheap short tries if you like to experiment.
- Short side: account required, and you pay per try, so a result you like can take a few of them.
4. Clapping Cat AI (mine)
You upload one clear full-body photo of your own cat or dog. The video opens on your photo, then your pet stands up in the same room, grins with human teeth and claps a pair of small human hands. It also has a "You + your pet" mode where you upload a photo of yourself too and act out the whole meme (the treat, the shush, the clap, the handshake).
- Price (checked 2026-11-07 on the pricing page): $5.90 for 1 video, $14.90 for 3, $19.90 for 5. One-time payment, no subscription, no account, no watermark.
- Output: a 10-second vertical 720p MP4 with a clapping sound, usually ready in 2 to 5 minutes. Made with Seedance 2.0 from fixed templates, so you write no prompt.
- Good for: your own pet as the star with the least effort.
- Short side: not free, a dark coat on a black cat can come out as a shapeless shadow if the photo is poor, and it is not a live camera filter. Failed videos are credited back automatically.
If you want to try it, this guide covers which photo works best.
5. A general AI video app with your own prompt
Any image-to-video model can do a version of this if you describe three shots: your photo held still for half a second, a hard cut to the pet standing up with a wide human-toothed grin, then a close-up of small human hands with five fingers clapping slowly. Name the human hands and the five fingers, or the pet just claps its paws.
- Good for: the lowest cost per try and full control.
- Short side: it usually takes several tries to get the hands and the grin right, and you manage the credits yourself.
Which one should you pick?
If you only want the original cat in your own clip, use the free CapCut template. If you want your own pet clapping, the real choice is between paying per try (a general app, LetsMkVideo) and paying once for a fixed template that needs no prompt. Everything on this list is a new AI video, not the original clip, so post it with the AI-generated label turned on.
Questions or a photo that came out weird? Leave a comment and I'll take a look.
Top comments (0)