Disturbing Cat in the Hat trend explained after B.C. girl chased home and arrests made in U.S.

Article content

What have authorities said?

Article content

“Regardless of whether the individual intended the behaviour as a joke, following a young person and causing them to fear for their safety is extremely concerning,” Cpl. Gerrits of the West Kelowna RCMP said in a statement concerning the recent incident in B.C. “People should understand that behaviour intended as a prank can have serious consequences when it causes another person to reasonably fear for their safety.”

Article content

Police are reminding parents and youth that if they believe they are being followed or pursued, they should move toward a safe, populated location, contact a trusted adult and call 911 if they are in immediate danger.

Article content

Meanwhile, the Nechako Lakes School District in B.C.’s central Interior said it was aware of the social media trend and asked community members to report the posts to police.

Article content

Police are seeking this person dressed as the Cat in the Hat who chased a teenage girl in West Kelowna. Photo by West Kelowna RCMP

Article content

In the U.S., several police departments have issued warnings or comments on the growing social media trend.

Article content

This includes the Baldwin Park PD in California, which said in a social media post that it is aware of “concerning” content regarding the trend. “We are actively reviewing these posts and will investigate any potential threats or criminal activity,” it said.

Article content

Article content

Florida’s St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating content involving county schools but had not identified a credible threat, adding, “Out of an abundance of caution, there will be an increased law enforcement presence on school campuses across the county.”

Article content

Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, also in Florida, said it had received multiple reports of AI posts featuring the Cat in the Hat with threatening messages, but that after “thoroughly reviewing” each report, none were found to be credible.

Article content

In Ireland, where the trend is thought to have originated, An Garda Síochána, the country’s national police force, shared a post on Instagram dismissing the Cat in the Hat sightings. 

Article content

“Fortunately, we can rule out the issue, which is essentially an AI prompt that places the character into images/videos of familiar places,” it said.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Has anyone been arrested?

Article content

Though the Cat in the Hat trend has broadly been dismissed as a hoax, several arrests have been made in the U.S. in connection with threatening social media content.

Article content

In Tennessee, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department said on Sept. 2 that a student had been charged “following an extensive investigation into a reported online threat involving an AI-generated image of the ‘Cat in the Hat.'”

Article content

In Colorado, Grand Juntion Police Department arrested a 14-year-old student in connection with a social media post related to the trend, and charged the juvenile with interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions and harassment. Police also increased presence at a local high school “out of an abundance of caution.”

Article content

Elsewhere, in Kansas, a 15-year-old was arrested after allegedly posting a video on social media that made “ominous threats toward students” as part of the Cat in the Hat trend. The juvenile was charged with two counts of criminal threat, according to a statement shared by Hutchinson Police Department on Sept. 1.