Police forced to issue statement after 'Cat in the Hat' pictured terrorising streets

If you thought the 2016 Penny Wise invasion was bad, wait until you see creepy Cat in the Hat lurking outside your window...

At least, that's what a bizarre string of viral TikTok videos showing someone apparently dressed up Dr Seuss' Cat in the Hat stalking the streets of the United Kingdom and Ireland wants you to believe is really happening.

However, it all seems to be quite an elaborate hoax as cops have been forced to issue a statement dismissing the unsettling clips as AI-generated fakes.

First originating in Limerick, Ireland, the freaky videos and photos claim to show a slender, cat-like humanoid creeping up to windows, standing on driveways and wandering streets, leading to a degree of concern amongst locals and online.

Spreading from Limerick, Michael Myers' famous character has apparently popped up in counties Cork, Tipperary, Dublin and Wexford.

With rumours and panic growing, Wexford Garda felt the need to issue a statement rubbishing the images completely.

A spokesperson for Wexford Garda wrote: "In an unusual turn of events we are hearing a lot about an illusive Dr Seuss character doing the rounds online, apparently causing havoc in neighbourhoods and towns across the country.

"Fortunately, we can rule out the issue, which is essentially an AI prompt that places the character into images/videos of familiar places.

"To be clear, the Cat in the Hat was not in your driveway while you were out and he is not currently hiding out in Curracloe."

Cat in the Hat is not limited to Ireland

The Wexford Garda felt the need to dismiss the rumours (Wexford Garda)

It's not just Ireland where the creepy cat is said to be looming, either, with a flood of videos claiming he's managing to stalk the UK at large.

After originating on Facebook and claiming to be from Snapchat, the 'Cat in the Hat stalker' is now a growing trend on TikTok, with claims he has been spotted in Manchester, Merseyside, Newcastle, Essex, Leeds, York, Cardiff and even Blackpool, though that could actually just be someone dressed up for a stag do.

All over the place.

One TikTok account purporting to be giving 'updates on the cat in the hat stalkers in Ireland and the uk' has already amassed 7203 followers and 382,000 likes.

The videos tend to be accompanied by eerie music, just to make sure you feel that proper sense of impending dread.

They are no killer clowns

Killer clowns once roamed the streets (Facebook/Cole Deimos)

Yet, this Cat in the Hat online prank has nothing on the very real killer clown trend that dominated social media in 2016.

Back when we didn't have AI to make our scary jokes for us, people actually dressed up as Penny Wise and other horrifying circus freaks and hit the streets.

They’d jump out and scare people in videos, even reportedly going as far as chasing people down.

Since then, there have been sporadic reports in the UK of clowns, in both sense of the word, trying to bring the terrifying trend back.

Police were called to Hampton Pier in Herne Bay, Kent, in 2022, after a 17-year-old and his friend said they were 'creepily' followed by a clown who walked quickly behind them before crouching behind a wall out of sight.

Then, in 2023, a person dressed up as Stephen King's Penny Wise, from the horror franchise It, roamed the streets of Skelmorlie in North Ayrshire, Scotland.

A Facebook page was even set up for it, called Cole Deimos, to which some spooky videos were posted.

Thankfully, there's no real Cat in the Hats roaming the streets... yet.