Distorted animal sounds have become a staple of short-form meme editing, where a familiar noise is pitched, slowed or stretched until it feels surreal. The distorted meow fits that trend, because a cat meow is instantly recognisable even when its pitch drops and its timing warps. Creators on video platforms began using versions like this for reaction clips, pet compilations and absurd edits, where the sound itself becomes the joke rather than just background noise. Its short length makes it easy to loop or drop into a punchline, which helps it keep appearing in new edits.