UCF Kitty speaks to a crowd of over 100 UCF students at the “meowing contest” outside the Addition Financial Arena on Tuesday.
Justice Covert
Meowing, purring and many other cat-related sounds echoed across Memory Mall Tuesday afternoon as students gathered for an unusual spectacle: the UCF Kitty meowing contest.
With the prize of a bag of cat food and a Labubu on the line, competitors gave their loudest, proudest meows.
UCF Kitty, a popular social media account known for its humorous AI voice-over cat videos covering campus news and trending topics, has become a cult favorite among Knights.
Sofia Silveira, a junior art major mentions her first sighting of UCF Kitty online.
“I was scrolling on TikTok, and he popped up,” Silveira said. “Hearing the AI generated voice was the thing that really got me hooked. I can’t lie.”
The account amassed thousands of views and even caught the attention of other major online personalities, including Minecraft YouTuber Dream and Orion Tha Scholar.
A competitor at UCF Kitty’s “meowing contest” on Tuesday outside the Addition Financial Arena wears a Garfield costume during his performance.
Justice Covert
Orion Russel, a junior psychology major and content creator who goes by Orion Tha Scholar, said their connection began when UCF Kitty reached out online.
“I first heard about UCF Kitty when he reached out to me through an Instagram DM asking for a collab,” Russell said. “We actually did a video together on his page and he seemed like a cool guy.”
Students from every corner of UCF packed the lawn, cheering on their classmates as the contest turned playful school spirit into a full-blown celebration of community.
More than 1,200 students had RSVP’d for the event, reflecting just how popular UCF Kitty had become on campus.
Olivia Tucker, senior marketing major who came to the event to share her love for cats, said she was excited to be part of the experience.
“I wanted to see and hear all the nice meows people had to offer,” Tucker said. “I love cats so it was really nice seeing what they got.”
Many showed up in full cat costumes and furry suits, adding a playful and chaotic charm to the already lively scene.
The winner of the event was Aitana Caparas, sophomore biomedical sciences/neuroscience major, who posed proudly with her prize — a bag of cat food and a Labubu blind box — before tearing it open and throwing it into the cheering crowd.
“I got a cat pretty recently and he needed food. He is three years old, his name is Roasted Duck and I came out to the event solely for him,” Caparas said.
Behind the viral persona, UCF Kitty said the contest was all about fun — and bringing the campus together in the process.
“I did it because I wanted to bring people together,” UCF Kitty said. “I knew it was going to be pretty popular just because cats are pretty universally loved and a meowing contest is really dumb and absurd.”
UCF Kitty stands with “meowing contest” winner Aitana Caparas outside the Addition Financial Arena on Tuesday. Caparas received a bag of cat food and a Labubu blind box as her prize.
Brianne Steeves
Whether they came to compete or just to laugh, students agreed the meowing contest was a prime example of UCF culture.