If you’re a fellow cat parent (or if you’ve spent more than 5 minutes on the internet), you already know: cats are simply hilarious. They are our tiny roommates with strong opinions and mostly zero accountability. I know what I’m saying, I have two of them, and they serve as inspiration for my funny cat t-shirts collection.

Observational humour is the base for my cat t-shirt designs. It’s about the things my cats actually do: putting up daily fights with the house plants, claiming ownership of every carton box in the house, waking up the entire house at 4 in the morning.

Instead of generic cuteness, the funny cat tees at Piki Riki show relatable scenes from daily life with cats, as well as pop culture and cat culture overlapping perfectly.

So today I want to explore why the most cat t-shirts on the market feel repetitive, what actually makes cat humour funny now, and how everyday-life-inspired designs break through the noise.

The problem with cat t-shirts: repetition

Of course, I don’t have a problem with cats. I might have a slight problem with uninspired cat designs. Most cat t-shirts fall into a few tired categories. Random cartoon cats that lack personality OR obvious jokes I’ve seen 7473930 times online OR designs that aim for “cute” instead of “funny”.

In a world where we watch funny cat videos and laugh at their behaviours every day, this kind of apparel feels quite… flat. I think the humour is simply not surprising, it doesn’t feel earned. And it definitely doesn’t feel like my cat. So basically, the issue with fun t-shirts isn’t oversaturation of cats, it’s oversaturation of the same ideas.

Why everyday cat behaviour is the best

The funniest cat moments aren’t exaggerated or imagined. They are not AI cats playing the trombone on someone’s porch at midnight (are they?). The funniest is when Picky, my black cat, acts personally insulted by the bedroom closed door. It’s when Caramela, my brown tabby, fights her self-reflection in the TV screen.

These moments don’t need punchlines. Cat parents instantly recognize them because they live them every other day. That’s where Piki Riki’s designs land differently. Instead of inventing jokes, they observe real-life cat behavior and translate it into visual scenes. The humor comes from recognition - not explanation.

When you see a cat t-shirt that mirrors something your own cat does, the reaction is immediate: “Yep. That’s my cat.”

Anthropomorphized cats: because obviously

If you’ve ever looked at your cat and thought, “You definitely think you’re better than me,” you probably understand why anthropomorphized humour works so well in funny cat t-shirts.

Doesn’t it sometimes feel like they act as unbothered villains or suspicious detectives? That’s why placing them into recognizable human moments, or familiar cinematic-style scenes, works in my world.

Piki Riki’s funny cat tee shirts turn cats into characters who are caught mid-interrogation, mid-dance or mid-standoff. I strongly hope the jokes don’t need explaining (we are all millennials here, aren’t we?) as they tap into shared cultural references and everyday cat behaviour at the same time. You see it, you get it, you hopefully laugh and think to yourself: “Oh, I haven’t seen that scene in like… forever.”

Turning everyday life into visual storytelling

Cute used to be enough. It isn’t anymore. Look at this crazy world - we definitely need something to make us laugh. Something that cat parents find specific and honest. Humour that reflects real life… the one with cat hair on everything. And who better to make these than someone who actually lives with cats?

The strongest funny cat tee shirts tell a story in one image. You understand the situation instantly and, even better, the fun unfolds the longer you look.

Made-to-order matters for creative cat designs

Original ideas don’t thrive in mass production. When designs are made to order instead of pumped out at scale, there’s room for creativity.

This approach also pairs naturally with better materials. Softstyle fabrics, clean prints, and thoughtful fits matter when the shirt is meant to be worn regularly, not just laughed at once and forgotten.

Comfort still counts, even for funny shirts

A shirt can be hilarious, but if it’s stiff or scratchy, it’s not leaving the drawer. Quality funny cat t-shirts should feel as good as they look. Softstyle fabric that’s really gentle on skin, unisex and women’s t-shirts that fit naturally, lightweight comfort for everyday wear.

Millennials can confirm: when a shirt is comfortable, it becomes part of your routine. And when it becomes part of your routine, the design actually gets seen, which is kind of the whole point.

Why these shirts spark conversations

Relatable cat designs do something generic ones don’t: they invite comments. People don’t just say, “Nice shirt.” They also say: “Ha, that’s exactly what my cat does.” Or: “Awesome print, man, I can’t believe they cancelled this series”.

That shared recognition makes your day, doesn’t it? It turns a simple t-shirt into a conversation starter, a knowing nod between (cat) people who’ve seen the same nonsense play out in their own homes or enjoy the same series, video games or music.

Some final thoughts

At the end of the day, I really think cats don’t need to be reinvented to be funny, they just need to be observed.  When designs are built around real-life cat behaviour, shared cultural references, and that Q Continuum energy cats bring into our homes, the humour comes naturally. That’s what I aim for with Piki Riki: funny cat tee shirts that feel familiar, wearable and a little bit personal.