Tom is the scheming house cat at the centre of Tom and Jerry, the long-running animated series built around his endless cartoon chase with Jerry the mouse. His expressive meows, yowls and reactions have become shorthand for cartoon mischief, so short clips of his voice circulate widely on soundboards and in meme edits. Creators reuse the sound because it is immediately understood even without context: a single meow can suggest curiosity, annoyance, scheming or defeat. That broad, visual humour keeps the classic cartoon character feeling current in modern short-form videos.