What Is The 'We Still Talk About You' Meme? The Meaning Of The Heartbreaking Viral Artwork Explained

A heartbreaking piece of art has become the subject of memes across social media that play with our senses of both nostalgia and loss.

The meme, known as "We Still Talk About You," shows a girl lying in the dirt where a small kitten or cat appears buried underground, and it's being used to mourn the losses of nostalgic things, both serious and funny.

But who is the artist behind the original artwork, what exactly does it mean and how did it become a meme format? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'We Still Talk About You' Meme?

Way back in 2009, DeviantArt artist t-a-t-k-a posted a piece of artwork titled kotik, which is a Russian term of endearment that translates to "kitten." The art depicts a girl lying in the dirt where a small cat appears to be buried.

In 2024, a TikToker added the text "we still talk about you" to the image and used it in a post about mourning the loss of her cat, with a screenshot of the video spreading from there as a tearjerking meme.

While the art has been interpreted by many as showing a girl mourning the loss of her cat, the artist sees it as more of a hopeful piece, with the cat acting as a metaphor. She has responded to several commenters over the years, claiming the cat is not meant to be a literal cat, but a representation of someone or something lost that will never be forgotten by those who knew them.

In one comment, she wrote, "The cat is not dead. it's a metaphor. Look closely — the ground is not excavated, and the cat has not decayed to the bone, so it has nothing to do with the real funeral :) The girl hears the cat that lurks under the earth :)"

How Is 'We Still Talk About You' Used In Memes?

The version of the artwork with the "we still talk about you" caption garnered viral spread throughout 2024 on sites like Instagram, X and Reddit, gaining thousands of likes most of the time.

The meme is great at evoking emotions from viewers and often inspires discussions about deceased, beloved pets in the comment sections.

Now, people have started to take the image and further edit it by replacing the cat with something funny or nostalgic, such as an Amogus crewmate or the Saddam Hussein's Hiding Place meme.

The caption "we still talk about you" has also branched out on its own as a catchphrase to use alongside other nostalgic imagery, like photos of Blockbuster or Toys R Us shops.

For the full history of the We Still Talk About You meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.