What Makes This Subcategory Distinct
cat faces is a narrower slice of smileys & emotion. Typical entries include 😺 grinning cat, 😸 grinning cat with smiling eyes, 😹 cat with tears of joy, 😻 smiling cat with heart-eyes.
Emoji subcategory
cat faces
Cat face emoji mirror familiar smiley moods but add a playful, meme-friendly, or slightly more character-like tone than human faces.
Parent category: smileys & emotion
Featured emoji in this subcategory
These are the clearest examples in the cluster and make it easier to judge the overall tone of the subcategory before scanning the full set.
😺
grinning cat
grinning-cat
The 😺 emoji shows a smiling cat face and carries the same basic happy tone as 😀, but with a cuter and more playful feel. It is often used when a normal smile feels too plain.
😸
grinning cat with smiling eyes
grinning-cat-with-smiling-eyes
The 😸 emoji shows a grinning cat with smiling eyes and expresses cheerful, cartoon-like joy. It feels brighter and more exaggerated than a simple happy cat face.
😹
cat with tears of joy
cat-with-tears-of-joy
The 😹 emoji shows a cat laughing with tears and is the feline version of 😂. It is used for strong amusement, especially when the tone is playful, cute, or unserious.
😻
smiling cat with heart-eyes
smiling-cat-with-heart-eyes
The 😻 emoji shows a cat with heart eyes and expresses affection, admiration, or delight in a softer, cuter way than 😍. It is common in pet content, flirting, and enthusiastic reactions.
😼
cat with wry smile
cat-with-wry-smile
The 😼 emoji shows a smirking cat and suggests sly confidence, teasing, or playful self-satisfaction. It has a lighter, less sharp tone than the human smirk 😏.
😽
kissing cat
kissing-cat
The 😽 emoji shows a kissing cat face and represents affection in a sweet, playful form. It often feels more cute than deeply romantic.
Emoji in this subcategory
😺
grinning cat
grinning-cat
The 😺 emoji shows a smiling cat face and carries the same basic happy tone as 😀, but with a cuter and more playful feel. It is often used when a normal smile feels too plain.
😸
grinning cat with smiling eyes
grinning-cat-with-smiling-eyes
The 😸 emoji shows a grinning cat with smiling eyes and expresses cheerful, cartoon-like joy. It feels brighter and more exaggerated than a simple happy cat face.
😹
cat with tears of joy
cat-with-tears-of-joy
The 😹 emoji shows a cat laughing with tears and is the feline version of 😂. It is used for strong amusement, especially when the tone is playful, cute, or unserious.
😻
smiling cat with heart-eyes
smiling-cat-with-heart-eyes
The 😻 emoji shows a cat with heart eyes and expresses affection, admiration, or delight in a softer, cuter way than 😍. It is common in pet content, flirting, and enthusiastic reactions.
😼
cat with wry smile
cat-with-wry-smile
The 😼 emoji shows a smirking cat and suggests sly confidence, teasing, or playful self-satisfaction. It has a lighter, less sharp tone than the human smirk 😏.
😽
kissing cat
kissing-cat
The 😽 emoji shows a kissing cat face and represents affection in a sweet, playful form. It often feels more cute than deeply romantic.
🙀
weary cat
weary-cat
The 🙀 emoji shows a shocked cat with wide eyes and is used for fear, panic, or dramatic surprise. It works especially well when the reaction is exaggerated for effect.
😿
crying cat
crying-cat
The 😿 emoji shows a crying cat face and expresses sadness, hurt, or emotional disappointment with a softer, more stylized tone than a human crying emoji.
😾
pouting cat
pouting-cat
The 😾 emoji shows a pouting cat and signals irritation, moodiness, or stubborn anger. It usually feels less serious than 😡 and more cartoonishly annoyed.
What this subcategory adds
How To Choose Inside It
Repeated tags like animal, cat, face, smile show what this subcategory is really about.
When To Move Broader
If this set feels too narrow, move up to smileys & emotion for a wider comparison.
Meaning-Based Follow-up
Meaning pages such as Happy Emoji Meaning, Flirting Emoji Meaning, Sad Emoji Meaning are useful when you want the same area explained through intent and tone.
Top tags
Related meaning pages
- Happy Emoji Meaning
Emoji used to show happiness, joy, excitement, and cheerful reactions in everyday messages.
- Flirting Emoji Meaning
Emoji used in playful, romantic, teasing, or affectionate one-to-one conversations.
- Sad Emoji Meaning
Emoji used for sadness, disappointment, heartbreak, and emotional vulnerability.
- Love Emoji Meaning
Emoji used for romance, affection, closeness, admiration, and emotionally warm communication.
Related lists
- All Smileys Emoji
A complete list of smiley and emotion emoji.