To trade cat memecoins, funds usually go through a centralized exchange for fiat on-ramping first. You can open an account and finish KYC via the Binance Official Site or the Official Binance App; if you're on an Apple device and can't install it directly, check the iOS install guide. Cat memecoins are a niche category that took off on Solana in 2024, led by POPCAT (market cap $400 million) and MEW (cat in a dog's world, market cap $150 million). The cat faction emerged as a "counter-narrative" to the long-dominant dog memecoins (DOGE, SHIB, WIF, BONK, and others), drawing a crowd of traders tired of the "dog narrative." Overall, the cat faction is still much smaller than the dog faction (roughly 1/10 the size), but it's growing faster, has stickier community engagement, and has a distinct cultural identity.
Crypto has long been dominated by the "dog narrative": DOGE (2013), SHIB (2020), FLOKI (2021), BONK (2022), and WIF (2023) are all dog-themed. This dominance lasted more than 10 years, and it eventually produced "narrative fatigue" among a segment of traders.
Starting in April 2024, a wave of cat memecoins began appearing on Solana:
These tokens share common traits:
POPCAT is the largest cat memecoin. Its logo comes from the viral 2020 internet meme "Popcat" — an orange cat photographed with its mouth wide open, originally posted by a Twitter user about their cat "Oatmeal."
| Date | POPCAT price | Market cap |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2024 | 0.005 | $5M |
| May 2024 | 0.04 | $40M |
| Jul 2024 | 0.18 | $180M |
| Sep 2024 | 0.95 | $930M |
| Nov 2024 | 1.85 (peak) | $1.8B |
| Dec 2024 | 1.30 | $1.3B |
| Feb 2025 | 0.65 | $640M |
| Jun 2025 | 0.35 | $340M |
| Dec 2025 | 0.50 | $490M |
| Apr 2026 | 0.41 | $400M |
POPCAT rallied 370x from launch to its peak (from $0.005 in April to $1.85 in November 2024), making it one of the biggest-gaining Solana memecoins of 2024. It has since pulled back about 78% from that peak.
POPCAT's exchange listings came slower than WIF's or BONK's, but ended up being broader:
| Exchange | Listing date |
|---|---|
| MEXC | May 2024 |
| Gate.io | Jul 2024 |
| Bitget | Aug 2024 |
| OKX | Sep 2024 |
| Bybit | Oct 2024 |
| Binance | Nov 2024 (futures) |
| Coinbase | Dec 2024 |
| Kraken | Feb 2025 |
Binance's and Coinbase's listings landed in November-December 2024, right around POPCAT's all-time high.
POPCAT's community is known for:
MEW launched on Solana in March 2024, with the full name "cat in a dog's world," directly challenging the dog-coin narrative.
| Date | MEW price (USD) | Market cap |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2024 | 0.0001 | $900K |
| Apr 2024 | 0.005 | $45M |
| May 2024 | 0.011 | $100M |
| Jul 2024 | 0.0042 | $37M |
| Nov 2024 | 0.012 (peak) | $107M |
| Jun 2025 | 0.003 | $27M |
| Apr 2026 | 0.0017 | $150M (supply increase) |
MEW currently sits at a $150 million market cap, about a third the size of POPCAT.
A few notable marketing moves from MEW's community-led team:
| Token | Launch date | Current market cap | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| POPCAT | Apr 2024 | $400M | 0.41 |
| MEW | Mar 2024 | $150M | 0.0017 |
| MOMO | May 2024 | $40M | 0.04 |
| MOG (cat-themed) | Jul 2023 | $320M (on ETH) | 0.0000023 |
| PURR | Jun 2024 | $20M | 0.02 |
| KAMALA HORRIS | Jul 2024 | $10M | - |
| MICHI | May 2024 | $30M | 0.05 |
| GIGA | May 2024 | $200M | 0.067 |
Note: MOG Coin isn't strictly a "cat" theme, but some traders group it with the cat faction (its logo is an abstract creature). GIGA Chad depicts a man but is often discussed alongside the cat coins.
| Dimension | Dog faction | Cat faction |
|---|---|---|
| History | 11 years (since DOGE) | 2 years |
| Total market cap | ~$31B | ~$1B |
| Flagship projects | DOGE, SHIB, WIF, BONK | POPCAT, MEW, MOMO |
| Community culture | "Shiba Army," "Doge Family" | "POP NATION," "Cat World" |
| Main battlefield | Multi-chain | Mostly Solana |
| Celebrity push | Elon Musk (DOGE) | Limited |
| Growth rate | Mature | Fast-growing |
The cat faction is currently much smaller than the dog faction, but is growing faster. If the "cat coin rise" narrative holds, total market cap could double over the next 1-2 years.
Crypto has long been "dog-ified," so cat coins have built-in appeal as a counter-narrative. This mirrors the logic of "underdog brands challenging incumbents" in traditional consumer markets.
Cats have historically out-performed dogs on the internet ("Cats of the Internet" was one of the biggest online cultural phenomena of the 2010s). That "real-world cultural edge" extends into crypto.
Cat memecoins share a relatively unified visual style (orange cats, chubby cats, expressive cats), which makes it easier for communities to form a shared identity.
Cat culture has broad acceptance across Asia (especially Japan, Korea, and China), Europe (especially Russia and the Nordics), and the Americas. That global edge gives cat memecoins wider reach than some "regional" memecoins (like Pepe, which is bigger in the West).
The sector overall is growing: total cat memecoin market cap grew from $50 million in March 2024 to $1 billion by April 2026 — a 20x increase, faster growth than the dog faction.
Focused on Solana: all the leading cat coins are on Solana, riding the tailwind of Solana's overall growth.
Sticky community engagement: cat coin traders are relatively more likely to be "active opters-in to the anti-dog narrative," which tends to produce stickier engagement than purely momentum-chasing crowds.
Still small overall: the cat faction's $1 billion total market cap versus the dog faction's $31 billion means it's still a niche segment.
No BTC-tier backing: DOGE has Elon Musk's continued promotion; the cat faction has no comparable celebrity support.
Lacks a full ecosystem: the cat faction has nothing like SHIB's Shibarium L2 or FLOKI's Valhalla game — it's purely narrative-driven.
Cyclical pullback risk: all memecoins go through cyclical pullbacks, and cat coins are no exception. POPCAT has already seen a 78% drawdown.
Q: Can the cat faction overtake the dog faction overall?
Almost impossible in the short term (1-2 years). The dog faction's market cap edge (30x) plus its historical brand accumulation (11 years) make it hard for the cat faction to catch up. But as an independent segment, the cat faction has room to grow — total market cap could plausibly reach $3-5 billion over the next 2-3 years.
Q: Can POPCAT go higher?
Possibly, but it needs tough conditions: 1) an overall crypto bull market; 2) a cat-sector breakout; 3) no major negative news for POPCAT itself. From its historical peak of $1.85 to the current $0.41 — a 78% drawdown — the odds of a new all-time high are around 25%.
Q: Is MEW or POPCAT the better buy?
Each has its own profile. POPCAT has a larger market cap, better liquidity, and broader CEX listings; MEW has a smaller cap, more room to grow, and a more "confrontational" narrative. If you're conservative, go POPCAT; if you're aggressive, go MEW.
Q: How do I find the contract address for cat memecoins?
Search the token name on CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap and find the "contract address." It's critical to verify the address to avoid buying a fake copycat. POPCAT's Solana contract: 7GCihgDB8fe6KNjn2MYtkzZcRjQy3t9GHdC8uHYmW2hr.
Q: Which CEXs list cat memecoins?
POPCAT is listed on major CEXs including Binance, Coinbase, OKX, Bybit, and Kraken. MEW is listed on OKX, Bybit, KuCoin, Bitget, and MEXC, but not yet on Binance or Coinbase. Most other cat memecoins are only listed on mid-tier CEXs.
Q: What wallet should I use to buy cat memecoins?
A Solana wallet: Phantom (most popular), Solflare, Backpack, or the OKX Web3 Wallet, among others. When withdrawing from a CEX, choose the Solana network.
Q: How concentrated is holder ownership for cat memecoins?
POPCAT's holdings are relatively spread out (top 10 individual addresses hold about 12%). MEW is more concentrated (top 10 around 28%). Smaller-cap tokens like MOMO tend to be even more concentrated (top 10 potentially 40%+). Higher concentration means higher dump risk.
Q: Could a cat memecoin ETF happen?
Not in the near term (1-3 years). Memecoins lack institutional recognition, and the SEC is unlikely to approve a memecoin ETF. Spot BTC and ETH ETFs have already broken through, and some leading memecoins (DOGE, SHIB) might see ETF proposals in 5-10 years, but the cat faction would need even longer.
Q: Is there rug-pull risk with cat memecoins?
For the leading cat coins (POPCAT, MEW, MOMO), the contract owner has renounced control and LP has been permanently burned, so hard rug-pull risk is low. But "soft rug" risk — early holders slowly dumping over time — still exists.
Q: Can mainland Chinese users trade cat memecoins?
Mainland China bans cryptocurrency trading, including cat memecoins. This site does not recommend that mainland users participate.
CoinGecko, Solscan (POPCAT contract: 7GCihg..., MEW contract: MEW1g...), Dune Analytics (Solana memecoin dashboards), Birdeye, Bubblemaps, and official listing announcements from various CEXs.