January 30, 2026
Purr-fect error codes, fur-real
HTTP Cats
Cats explain web oopsies — community splits over dogs, security, and the .cat twist
TLDR: A website maps every web error code to a cat photo, delighting meme lovers and igniting debate. Fans cheered the .cat/Catalan twist and shared a dog alternative, while others argued over the site being HTTPS-only—turning a cute cat gallery into a mini culture clash over security and fandoms.
The internet just discovered its new favorite tech-toy: http.cat, a site where every website “oops” code comes with a cat photo. Type a number like 404 into the URL and—boom—grumpy kitty for “not found.” Need a file extension? Add .jpg. It’s simple, silly, and everyone has an opinion.
Cat people pounced first. One user cheered the surprise Catalan version and joked that it might be a perk of the .cat domain—cue a chorus of “awws” and eyebrow raises. Another declared, “Love http and love cats,” which basically sums up the vibe: pure serotonin with a side of nerd.
Then the plot thickened. A security-minded commenter dropped the spicy line “HTTP 000,” mock-lamenting the lack of plain old HTTP and picking apart the site’s HTTPS (secure web) setup—before admitting it works on older browsers and has wide encryption support. Translation: the cat site sparked a real debate about internet safety vs. convenience, with “HTTPS-only” as the surprise battleground.
Meanwhile, the dog lobby showed up with httpstatusdogs.com, kicking off a classic cats vs. dogs turf war. And a historian of Hacker News resurfaced previous threads, proving this meme-machine is a returning legend. Verdict? It’s part cute, part nerd, and 100% the internet at its weird, wonderful best.
Key Points
- •Service endpoint: https://http.cat/[status_code]
- •[status_code] is a numeric HTTP status code inserted in the URL path
- •The service returns an image corresponding to the provided status code
- •Optional: append .jpg to request a JPEG file extension
- •Access is shown via HTTPS in the provided usage example