It’s a well-established fact that cats rule the Internet. From their toe beans to their tongue tips, netizens can’t seem to get enough of felines doing their furry thing, whether they’re being graceful, derpy, or just going plain crazy.
One subreddit, r/Blep, has been collecting pics of cats blepping for over a decade now, and the community is nearly half a million members strong. If you still don’t know what a blep is, keep reading for some of the web’s most endearing examples.
More info: Reddit
#1 From Foster Kittens On Ig... The Double Blep! Gwen And New Baby
Image credits: chelseans14
#2 A Special Kind Of Blep
Image credits: Achoo_Gesundheit
#3 The Wedding-Crasher Blep
Image credits: Camsy34
Urban Dictionary, the web’s most popular slang resource, defines the word "blep" as, "the act of a cat sticking its tongue out slightly without realizing it, often for long periods of time." The term was first coined over ten years ago by the creator of the r/Blep subreddit, BillohRly, who also came up with the variations "blop" and "blup" to describe the same behavior in other animals.
#4 This Is Stan. He Survived Being Hit By A Car. He's Happy & Healthy But He's Been Left With A Permanent Blep
Image credits: flowersstorms
#5 Dave Cat Blepping Like A Pro
Image credits: cuddles_like_a_rock
#6 Blep Ity Bloop
Image credits: DrDepussey
But why do cats blep? There are actually several reasons. When cats stick their tongues out, they are literally getting a better sense of their environment by analyzing scents. This is part of the Flehmen response, which aids them in "smelling" through taste when encountering something unusual, like new smells on your shoes or clothes.
#7 My Old Man Was Born Blind 14 Years Ago, But He Still Bleps Into Your Soul
Image credits: madlaceann
#8 Just Happened To Have My Camera With Me In The Animal Shelter, When I Was Gifted A Blep From The Heavens
Image credits: thekanamitchick
#9 She Bleps All The Time, But I Can Never Grab My Phone Fast Enough To Take A Pic
Image credits: TheNameIsChops
Bleps also happen when a cat is deeply relaxed, especially during sleep. Their jaws may slacken, letting their tongue slip out—a sign they feel completely safe and comfortable. Certain breeds like Persians or Himalayans are predisposed to blepping because of their facial structure, which makes keeping their tongue inside a bit more challenging.
#10 Incognito Blep
Image credits: madsbiscuit
#11 My One Eyed Blep
Image credits: anon
#12 October Looks Like A A Scruffy Muppet With A Blep
Image credits: littlebittyoctober
Sometimes, blepping can be a sign of dental discomfort, nausea, or even stress. If your cat bleps frequently alongside symptoms like drooling or trouble eating, it may be a sign of a health issue that warrants a trip to the vet - no cat’s favorite activity.
A blep is just the tip of the iceberg of fascinating cat tongue facts. Did you know that a cat's tongue is coated with tiny, backward-facing spines called papillae? These spines are made of keratin (the same stuff as fingernails) and give the tongue its rough texture. Papillae are essential for grooming, helping the cat remove loose fur while distributing natural oils across their coat.
#13 Guilty Blep
Image credits: Cibudeus
#14 Trying To Grow A Blep
Image credits: lee19832002
#15 Lost My Cranky Angel Yesterday - Here's Her Angriest Blep. Safe Travels, Chomp Princess
Image credits: tamitaylorshair
#16 Yr. Ago My Neighbor Saved This Cat Yesterday And Captured A Very Happy Blep :p
Image credits: anon
When cats groom, their tongues act as a comb and exfoliator, cleaning dead skin cells and improving their coat's health. The rough texture can also remove dirt between their toes and help keep wounds clean. Cats' tongues are highly efficient at lapping up water too - they create a tiny cup-like structure to scoop up liquid quickly and effectively.
#17 Neighbors Threw Their Cat Out In The Winter Because He "Stopped Using The Litterbox". I Stole Him And He Repayed Me With This Minute Long Blep!
Image credits: steventactical
#18 She Was Born A Blep. Sun's Out, Tongues Out!
Image credits: penelopuss
#19 Our Brand New Little Girl Blepped Injust 4 Days
Image credits: thebizzle
#20 Mother Of All Bleps
Image credits: Geoinwee
The popularity of r/Blep is hardly a surprise. A 2015 survey found that cats drove about 15% of all internet traffic. To put that into perspective, of about 4.66 billion people frequently using the web back then, 699 million were, at some point, searching for cats or cat-related topics every month. At the time of writing, Instagram alone turned up 502K posts for the hashtag #blep, signaling its popularity on social media.
#21 He Does A Blep Every Day
Image credits: blepsforjesus
#22 16 Year Old Blep. She's Taunting Us Because She Knows She's Not Allowed On The Counter
Image credits: babyprincess-
#23 This Is Missy, She Loves To Blep
Image credits: PopDaKira
#24 In Memoriam Blep. Rip Herman
Image credits: Tyson-Bigby
#25 He Only Bleps For My Girlfriend
Image credits: sfs14
YouTube videos featuring felines account for over 26 billion views, making them the single most popular category on the site. While the site actually gets more searches for dogs, cat content gets nearly four times more viral views than content featuring hounds. In 2010, it was estimated that there were about 1.3 billion cat pictures on the internet. Today, that number is expected to be over 6.5 billion. We wonder, just how many of them feature bleps?
Let us know if you enjoyed this list of cats in full derp mode, and don’t forget to upvote for your favorites or leave a comment!
#26 Blep
Image credits: anon
#27 My Tuxedo Usually Doesn't Blep, But This Here Was Caught My The Cat Sitter
Image credits: taschana
#28 "Look Noodle, That's You!" Blep
Image credits: friendlynoodless
#29 Well-Hello-There-Under-The-Blankie Blep
Image credits: LemmyOH
#30 The Youngest Blep I've Seen
Image credits: Lvl1NPC
#31 My Girlfriend's Cat Is A Blep Goldmine
Image credits: youngsamsa
#32 Penny Decided To Gift Us With A Blep After Helping Make The Bed
Image credits: twodadshuggin
#33 Her First Documented Blep After Seven Years
Image credits: Dianaruuu
#34 Steve's Post-Neuter Blep
Image credits: bullzi91
#35 Talos' First Blep
Image credits: thewaystation43
#36 I Got Up To Check The Mail, Looked Over And Was Greeted With A Wonderful Blep
Image credits: chesleymt
#37 My Little Blep Machine
Image credits: beefsquaaatch
#38 The "Not Supposed To Be On The Counter" Blep
Image credits: DrPopcornMD
#39 Mino On Blep
Image credits: chalokoi-galnai
#40 Lil "Happy With My New Family" Blep
Image credits: podunk_red
#41 Hairless Blep
Image credits: Kateyh13
#42 Our Newly Adopted Kitten Loves To Blep
Image credits: Travis959
#43 My 12 Year Old Cat Prince's Blep As He Anticipates His Tuna. (And Yes, I Did Teach Him To Give Paw)
Image credits: coconutbananaa
#44 My Cat Got A Cyst Removed And They Drugged Her. This Blep And These Eyes Are The Result
Image credits: anon
#45 Little Boy Stopped My Yoga Session To Show Me His Blep
Image credits: merisor
