An eerie, AI-generated “Cat in the Hat” lurks outside a window, crouches inside a darkened room or stands in the middle of a road. Names of students, towns and campuses appear across the screen, sometimes alongside a warning: “I’m coming.”
The scenes may be fake. The law enforcement response is not.
Law enforcement agencies across the country are investigating a wave of “Cat in the Hat” posts that use artificial intelligence to place a sinister version of the Dr. Seuss character outside real homes, schools and businesses. Many appear to draw from the live-action version played by Mike Myers in the 2003 film.
The videos are generally set at night and paired with ominous captions, vague warnings or direct threats. Some name individual students, schools or entire communities. The trend has prompted increased patrols, school lockdowns and arrests in several states.
@thecatinthehat_22 Im here in Virginia #catinthehat #virginia #imcoming #screamandrun #hide ♬ original sound - THE CAT IN THE HAT
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What is the ‘Cat in the Hat’ trend?
The trend appears to have grown out of fictional, horror-style posts that circulated in Ireland and the United Kingdom in August before spreading across TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms in the United States.
Early versions depicted the Cat in the Hat as a horror character or serial killer. Copycats then began localizing the posts, using AI-generated or edited images to make it appear that the character was lurking in familiar neighborhoods or near specific schools.
In South Texas, one account posted a map of San Antonio with the message, “I’m coming for every single person,” MySA reported. Other posts have included school initials, lists of students’ first names or images made to resemble security camera footage.
That shift is what has drawn law enforcement attention.
Greg Mays, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, told The New York Times that his agency was investigating several videos. Reimagining the character is not the concern, he said. The problem begins when the images are paired with threats.
“That’s where it crosses the line,” Mays said.
FBI Special Agent Nathan Head made a similar distinction.
“Just posting the video itself is not a crime,” he told Spectrum News 1. Pairing it with threats focused on a school, student or institution, he said, can be.
The character is different, but the pattern is familiar. In its warning about the trend, the Butler Police Department compared it to the “killer clown” scare. In 2016, false reports of threatening clowns spread across the country, prompting police investigations and arrests. This time, AI allows users to quickly tailor the imagery to a particular school, town or person.
Why AI-generated threats still require a police response
A post may look fake and later prove to be a hoax. Police still cannot dismiss it simply because AI was used. Once a school or person is named, officers have to identify who is behind the account and determine whether the threat could be carried out.
That work can involve interviewing students, tracing accounts, preserving digital evidence, contacting social media companies and coordinating with school officials. Agencies have also assigned extra officers to campuses while investigators worked to rule out a credible threat.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said it increased its presence across county school campuses while investigating posts tied to local schools. No credible threat was found.
In another Florida case, Citrus County Sheriff David Vincent addressed the trend in a video message, saying deputies and school officials had reviewed every reported post and found no credible danger. He urged residents not to share or interact with the content.
The Frio County Sheriff’s Office in Texas offered similar guidance after posts referenced its area. Deputies increased their visibility and patrols while the threats were assessed. The agency also warned that reposting the material can spread panic and make an investigation more difficult.
The Laredo Police Department put it plainly: “Viral does not mean harmless.” The department noted that a few seconds on social media can lead to a police investigation, school discipline and potentially serious criminal consequences. Whether the post was intended as a joke does not prevent an arrest when the facts and applicable law support charges, police said.
In Premont, Texas, police met with school district leaders after learning of the trend. The Premont Police Department warned that using an AI-generated image, fake account or supposed prank to communicate a threat could lead to charges such as terroristic threat or false alarm or report under Texas law, depending on the circumstances.
Juveniles arrested as police trace the posts
The trend has already led to arrests on charges ranging from harassment and cyberbullying to making terroristic threats.
- Berwick, Louisiana: Police arrested four girls, ages 13 to 15, after identifying TikTok accounts connected to posts that alarmed families and schools in the Tri-City area. Three were charged with terrorizing/menacing and one with cyberbullying. “Once you hit POST, you do not get to decide how seriously law enforcement takes it,” Chief J.P. Henry said.
- Pasco County, Florida: Deputies arrested a 12-year-old Crews Lake Middle School student accused of posting a written threat to kill. The student was charged with making written threats to kill and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Investigators said the off-campus threat was tied to the trend and did not pose an immediate danger to the school or public, according to the sheriff’s office.
- Grand Junction, Colorado: Police arrested a 14-year-old high school student after a post suggested the character would appear at West Middle School and several homes. Officers increased their presence at two schools before determining there was no credible threat. The student was arrested on suspicion of interference with staff, faculty or students of educational institutions and harassment, KREX reported.
- Andalusia, Alabama: School resource officers and an investigator traced a Snapchat account after a threat was sent to an Andalusia High School student. Police obtained a warrant for information about the account holder, the device used to log in and its IP address. A juvenile admitted responsibility when confronted with the records, police said. The juvenile was arrested, and investigators were working to identify other possible suspects, WTVY reported.
- Wilmington, Ohio: A juvenile was taken into custody after an investigation by police and the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office. A delinquency complaint alleged conduct that would amount to one count of making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony, and two counts of menacing by stalking, fourth-degree felonies, if committed by an adult. The juvenile remained in detention pending court proceedings, police said.
- Nicholasville, Kentucky: Police said a juvenile would face criminal charges after an FBI-assisted investigation into posts targeting schools in Jessamine County. Authorities did not release the juvenile’s age or details of the alleged threats. The department warned that anyone threatening local schools should expect a “swift and severe response,” FOX 56 reported.
What police want students and parents to do
Agencies responding to the trend have repeated the same instruction: Report a threatening post. Do not help it travel.
The Frio County Sheriff’s Office advised anyone who sees one to avoid reposting, sharing or tagging friends. Instead, take a screenshot that includes the username and send it directly to police or school administrators.
The Bandera County Sheriff’s Office gave similar guidance, telling families to save posts that contain a direct threat or name a student, school or location, then report them rather than repost them.
For students tempted to join the trend, Berwick Chief J.P. Henry’s warning is more direct: The person who makes the post does not control the fear it causes, the police response it triggers or the charges that may follow.
“Every choice you make has a consequence,” he said. “Think before you post.”
