Hannahville police warn UP families of 'Cat in the Hat' threats

Hannahville Tribal Police are warning Upper Peninsula families about a viral social media trend targeting schools and students with threatening messages.

School Resource Officer Robinette of the Hannahville Tribal Police Department shared the advisory in a Sept. 2 Facebook post, which WBUP/WJMN reported on Tuesday, Sept. 8, as students across the U.P. head back to class. The trend, known as "Cat in the Hat," uses altered or AI-generated images of the Dr. Seuss character to spread fear. The department also posted the warning on its official Facebook page.

The trend started as dark-humor or horror-themed content, often pulled from the 2003 live-action movie. Greg Mays, deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, told The New York Times that the content "is essentially screen captures and reimaging of 'Cat in the Hat' figures, primarily from the 2003, live 'Cat in the Hat' movie." It has since spread across Snapchat, TikTok and X, where one post drew more than 10 million views, according to Newsweek citing BBC reporting.

Some posts have evolved to name specific schools, communities and individual students. The Hannahville advisory said certain posts include claims that named individuals are "next" or contain references to violence and harm.

The trend has already triggered real consequences in Michigan. Constantine High School in St. Joseph County was placed under a precautionary perimeter hold after police learned of threats directed at specific students on TikTok by accounts using variations of the username "catinthehat," WWMT reported. Those posts identified students by first name and said they were "next."

In an Aug. 30 joint statement, the Centreville-Constantine Police Department and St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney's Office warned that the threats are not "harmless jokes." Prosecutors said criminal charges may be filed regardless of whether the person responsible is a juvenile or an adult. Michigan law prohibits cyberbullying posts intended to incite fear of bodily harm or death and that express an intent to commit violence, prosecutors noted.

Nationally, a 14-year-old in Grand Junction, Colorado, was arrested on charges of harassment and interference with students of educational institutions after allegedly posting threats tied to the trend. In Texas, the Potter County Sheriff's Office said a student admitted to posting a threat video as a joke. The office classified the threat as a third-degree felony.

No U.P. schools have been named. The Hannahville advisory is a precautionary measure.

The department urged anyone who encounters threatening posts to: