The best hooks for cat reels, from 1,350 that went viral
We read the opening line of every viral cat reel in Aubrium's library: which hooks show up most, which travelled furthest, and 16 real ones to learn from.
It reached 14.8 million views from an account of just 2,871 followers, with one line over the top: "Me after comparing my cat to another cat". You don't need to see the video to get the joke.
Plenty of cat reels skip the hook entirely: 33% have no hook of any type. Out of curiosity we went through the opening lines of all 1,350 viral cat reels in Aubrium's library, from 1,091 creators, to see what the rest say and how far each kind got. This page is part of our general guide to reel hooks, and every niche we looked at has its own list.
On viral cat reels, curiosity gaps (18%) and relatable lines (15%) turn up most. Transformation teases are rare, at 3%, but their middle reel drew 102× its follower count, the furthest of any type. 33% have no hook at all, and 53% show the hook as text.
Aubrium's library, 22 October 2026.
What kind of hook works best for cat reels?
Curiosity gaps and relatable lines lead, at 18% and 15% of these reels, and the two went the same sort of distance: 43 and 44 times followers.
The surprise sits lower down. Transformation teases make up just 3%, only 38 reels, yet the middle one pulled 102 times its account's followers in views. POV hooks came next, at 83 times. Then there's the 33% with no real hook, whose middle reel hit 65×, more than either of the two most common hook types.
16 cat hooks that went viral
Sixteen creators, sixteen top reels with an English hook. A few of the lines speak for the cat. Tap a type to filter.
- RelatableText on screen
Me after comparing my cat to another cat
- RelatableText on screen
"Cat moms are hard to gift"
- RelatableText on screen
most of the times they are like did you see that human 😂
- RelatableText on screen
My cat smiles every time he gets to dance
- Curiosity gapText on screen
Our cat reacting to his favourite person (my mum) holding a baby instead of him
- Curiosity gapText on screen
Neighbor said "My cats don't use it anymore,"
- Curiosity gapText on screen
Try this with your cat and watch their reaction 😂
- Transformation teaseText and spoken
Okay, last kitten!
- POVText on screen
POV: your cat sitter gets distracted by the kittens... 🥹🐾
- POVSpoken
Hey guys, do you have room for one more?
- QuestionText and spoken
Do you have a job?
- QuestionText on screen
Where is my kiss ?
- CalloutText on screen
Pls take him for a horse ride 🐎🙏
- NegativeText on screen
my cat losing his spark over a new kitten
- AspirationalText on screen
Cats Paw Prints So Adorable 😻
- Curiosity gapText on screen
Trying the seal filter 😂🤣
How long should a cat hook be?
Either very short or properly long. The middle cat hook is 9 words, and the in-between lengths went least far.
At 1–4 words, the middle reel hit 74× its follower count. Past 20 words, only 7% of hooks, it was 57×. The 5–8 and 9–12 rows sat at 34 and 31. Both ends of the range went far; the middle of it didn't.
Should you say the hook or show it?
Show it, if you use one at all. A text-only hook travelled furthest, at 51 times followers for the middle reel.
Spoken hooks reached 31, and the 7% that did both reached 19. One spoken hook in the list is simply "Hey guys, do you have room for one more?" Typed text, on its own, went further.
How do viral cat hooks start?
"I" and "POV" tie at the top, with 24 hooks each, and "my" is close behind at 20. Plenty are told from inside the house.
- I 24
- POV 24
- my 20
- how 19
- if 18
- the 15
- this 14
- what 14
- when 10
- why 10
- cat 9
- don't 9
The first word of 537 English hooks on viral cat reels, and how many start with it.
The same few shapes keep coming back. Every example is a real cat hook.
POV…
“POV: your cat sitter gets distracted by the kittens... 🥹🐾”
Me…
“Me after comparing my cat to another cat”
Trying… / I tried…
“Trying the seal filter 😂🤣”
How to… / How I…
“How to trim your kitten's nails without them noticing 🐾”
Keep reading
A hook is only the first two seconds. For the formats, faces and sound behind these reels, read how to go viral in the cat niche. If cats are one part of a bigger animal account, the hooks on viral animal rescue reels, the best hooks for veterinary reels and hooks for pet brands sit close by.
Questions people ask
What's the best hook for a cat reel?
The usual openers are curiosity gaps and relatable lines, 18% and 15% of viral cat reels. The rare transformation tease went furthest, its middle reel at 102 times the account's followers.
Do cat reels need a hook?
Not always. 33% of viral cat reels have no hook of any type, and those still drew 65× their follower counts for the middle reel.
Should I say the hook out loud in a cat reel?
Typed went further. With a text-only hook the middle reel got to 51 times followers; with a spoken one, 31.
How many words should a cat hook have?
The middle one has 9. Hooks of 1–4 words went furthest, at 74 times followers, but long ones past 20 words also reached 57.
Is POV a good hook for cat reels?
"POV" opens 24 cat hooks, tied for the most common first word, and a typical POV hook's reel drew 83× its account's followers.
How we did this
We looked at every cat reel in Aubrium's library on 22 October 2026: 1,350 reels from 1,091 creators with 1,000 to 100,000 followers, each of which reached at least twice its creator's follower count and at least 10,000 views. We counted every reel filed in Aubrium's cat niche; a reel can sit in more than one niche.
Hook types, delivery and on-screen text are labels Aubrium's reader puts on every post. Hook length and first words count the 537 reels with an English hook in words. Every number here describes reels that already went viral, so none of it is the odds for a new one.
Changelog
- First version.
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