Claim:
Two images authentically show ancient Egyptian sculptures depicting cats walking and resting on their owners.
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<p>In late September, a pair of images began circulating online, supposedly showcasing authentic ancient Egyptian sculptures of cats interacting with humans by walking and resting on them.</p>
<p>One picture presents what looks like a museum display featuring a wooden sculpture of a cat either standing or moving across a reclining person. The second picture displays a cat curled up intimately against the chin of an individual with open eyes.</p>
<p>By September 29, a Facebook user shared a graphic combining both photos alongside the caption, "4,000-year-old statues prove cats have always ignored personal space," adding, "Cats Have Been Sitting on Their Humans for 4,000 Years." These visuals quickly spread across Threads and X as well.</p>
<img class="img-lg" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/10/nathanistic_cat_meme_image.jpg" alt=""/>
<p><strong>(Nathanistic via Facebook)</strong></p>
<p>Reverse image searches successfully traced the standing cat photo across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, while the resting cat photo turned up on Instagram, Threads, and X.</p>
<p>Given that felines hold a significant and well-documented place in ancient Egyptian heritage and mummification practices, many social media users readily accepted the artifacts as genuine. Meanwhile, other commentators voiced skepticism, questioning whether the photos were generated by artificial intelligence.</p>
<p>Ultimately, these images are entirely fabricated and stem from AI generation—much like several other viral posts showcasing fantastical ancient Egyptian cat sculptures.</p>
<p>Further investigation revealed that the earliest appearances of the standing cat photo were published on September 25 by accounts under the name "Soft Cat Memes" across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, alongside a potentially related X account. That post included the caption, "Cats have been bothering their humans since the dawn of time."</p>
<img class="img-md img-center" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/10/soft_cat_memes_1.jpeg" alt=""/>
<p><strong>(@softcatmemes via Facebook)</strong></p>
<p>The second photo, depicting the cat resting near a person's face, debuted on those same Soft Cat Memes profiles on September 26, garnering even higher engagement. It featured the overlay text, "Evidence suggests cats have never understood personal space."</p>
<img class="img-md img-center" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/10/soft_cat_memes_2.jpeg" alt=""/>
<p><strong>(@softcatmemes via Facebook)</strong></p>
<p>Inquiries were sent to the managers of these accounts to verify if an AI generator was utilized, along with requests for the specific prompts used. Updates will be provided if a response is received.</p>
<h2>How we know images are fake</h2>
<p>Reverse image tools confirm that neither of these pictures existed online prior to late September. Given the massive popularity of viral cat media, it is highly improbable that genuine photographs of humorous ancient Egyptian artifacts would go completely unshared until now.</p>
<p>As pointed out by members of the online community, running these images through OpenAI’s content verification tool yields explicit confirmation: results indicate the files were produced using OpenAI software and contain an embedded SynthID watermark originating from the company.</p>
<img class="img-lg" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/10/egyptian_cat_openai_scan.jpg" alt=""/>
<p><strong>(via OpenAI)</strong></p>
<p>Visual inconsistencies further betray the artificial nature of the pictures. In the resting cat photo, a faint shadow stretches horizontally along the edge of the display bed, implying a light source positioned on the opposite side. However, only the bed casts a shadow; if the scene were real, the silhouettes of both the human and the feline figures should also be visible, which is not the case. Similarly, the standing cat image lacks any shadow corresponding to the animal's tail, pointing once again to digital manipulation.</p>