Cataas

aid: cataas
name: Cataas
description: Cataas (Cat as a Service) is a free, open-source REST API that returns random cat images and GIFs with optional
  tags, filters, sizing, and text overlays. The service is widely embedded in tutorials, demos, README files, and chat applications
  as a friction-free image source. The canonical implementation lives at github.com/cataas/cataas and runs at cataas.com.
url: https://cataas.com/
specificationVersion: '0.20'
created: '2026-05-28'
modified: '2026-05-30'
x-source: public-apis/public-apis
x-category: Animals
x-type: opensource
x-tier: 3
x-tier-reason: bulk-registered-from-public-apis
tags:
- Animals
- Cats
- Images
- Open Source
- Public APIs
apis:
- name: Cataas
  description: Random and tagged cat image retrieval with optional sizing, filtering, and text overlay. Includes a JSON catalog
    API and admin/upload endpoints for the canonical hosted instance.
  humanURL: https://cataas.com/
  baseURL: https://cataas.com
  tags:
  - Cats
  - Images
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://cataas.com/
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/cataas-openapi-original.yml
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: json-schema/cat-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: json-schema/count-response-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: json-schema/upload-cat-request-schema.json
  - type: JSONSchema
    url: json-schema/edit-cat-request-schema.json
  - type: JSONStructure
    url: json-structure/cat-structure.json
  - type: JSONStructure
    url: json-structure/count-response-structure.json
  - type: JSONStructure
    url: json-structure/upload-cat-request-structure.json
  - type: JSONStructure
    url: json-structure/edit-cat-request-structure.json
  - type: Examples
    url: examples/cat-example.json
  - type: Examples
    url: examples/count-response-example.json
  - type: Examples
    url: examples/upload-cat-request-example.json
  - type: Examples
    url: examples/edit-cat-request-example.json
  - type: SDKs
    url: https://github.com/iArmanKarimi/Cataas-API-js
    title: JavaScript / TypeScript Wrapper (community)
  - type: SDKs
    url: https://github.com/iArmanKarimi/Cataas-API-go
    title: Go Wrapper (community)
  - type: SDKs
    url: https://github.com/chimpook/cataas-api-php
    title: PHP Wrapper (community)
common:
- type: Website
  url: https://cataas.com/
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/cataas
- type: GitHubRepository
  url: https://github.com/cataas/cataas
  title: Canonical Cataas server (Node.js)
- type: GitHubRepository
  url: https://github.com/cataas/discord-bot
  title: Cataas Discord bot
- type: GitHubRepository
  url: https://github.com/cataas/slack-command
  title: Cataas Slack slash command
- type: GitHubRepository
  url: https://github.com/cataas/image-editor
  title: Cataas image editor library
- type: Tools
  title: MCP Server (community via Pipeworx Gateway)
  url: https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-cataas
- type: PublicAPIsListing
  url: https://github.com/public-apis/public-apis
- type: SpectralRules
  url: rules/cataas-spectral-rules.yml
- type: Vocabulary
  url: vocabulary/cataas-vocabulary.yaml
- type: JSONLD
  url: json-ld/cataas-context.jsonld
- type: Features
  data:
  - name: Random Cat Image
    description: GET /cat returns a random cat image (JPEG, PNG, or GIF).
  - name: Tagged Cat Retrieval
    description: GET /cat/{tag} returns a random cat matching one or more comma-separated tags.
  - name: Animated GIFs
    description: GET /cat/gif returns a random animated cat.
  - name: Text Overlay
    description: GET /cat/says/{text} renders user-supplied text on top of a random cat with configurable font size, color,
      and background.
  - name: Image Filters
    description: filter=blur|mono|negate|custom with per-channel and per-property tuning (brightness, hue, saturation, RGB).
  - name: Sizing and Cropping
    description: type, width, height, fit, and position query parameters resize and crop the returned image.
  - name: JSON Catalog API
    description: /api/cats, /api/tags, /api/count expose the catalog programmatically.
  - name: Content Negotiation
    description: json=true returns a metadata document instead of binary; html=true returns an embedding wrapper page.
  - name: Free and Unauthenticated
    description: All read endpoints are public and require no API key.
- type: UseCases
  data:
  - name: Tutorials and Demos
    description: Embed live cat images in API tutorials, learn-to-code lessons, and conference demos.
  - name: README Decoration
    description: Decorate open-source READMEs and personal sites with rotating cat imagery.
  - name: Chat Bots and Slash Commands
    description: Slack, Discord, and Teams bots fetch random cats on demand via /cat or /cat/says.
  - name: Mocking Image-Heavy APIs
    description: Stand in for a real image-CDN-backed API while prototyping front-end layouts.
  - name: Image Pipeline Testing
    description: Exercise resize, format-conversion, and filtering pipelines with predictable image input.
- type: Integrations
  data:
  - name: Slack
    description: Official slack-command repo wires /cat into Slack workspaces.
  - name: Discord
    description: Official discord-bot repo provides a Cataas Discord integration.
  - name: Pipeworx MCP Gateway
    description: Community MCP server (pipeworx-io/mcp-cataas) wraps the API for use by Claude and other MCP clients.
  - name: Public APIs Catalog
    description: Listed in the public-apis/public-apis Animals category.
- type: Solutions
  data:
  - name: Self-Hosted Catalog
    description: Run your own Cataas instance from cataas/cataas (Node.js + MongoDB + sharp) to power internal demos or branded
      image services.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com