Imagine Being the Freaky Cheshire Cat in Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Don’t Stop’ Video

You really thought this bonkers news day was going to get in the way of us discussing a CGI cat slapping Megan Thee Stallion’s ass in her “Don’t Stop” music video? Thought wrong. Thee Stallion’s latest video is nothing less than avant-grade performance art, as she flashes from various Tim Burton–inspired sets, fully costumed as Alice, the Red Queen, and even as a latex Cheshire Cat, all from Alice in Wonderland. Sure, Young Thug, who has a verse on the track, is in the video as a swagged-out Edward Scissorhands, but the only one who comes close to stealing a scene from Thee Stallion is a random gray and green, anthropomorphic cat. “It’s the cat for me,” literally everyone seems to have tweeted.

Perhaps a distant cousin of Burton’s Cheshire Cat, this cat has a thin, mischievous grin. For most of the video, it observes the antics, like the carnival-inspired runway Megan sends voguing dancers down. (She learned a thing or two on Legendary, HBO’s voguing competition show.) But toward the end the cat gets bold — probably inspired by the lyrics “Don’t stop, pop that cat” — and is seen slapping Megan Thee Stallion’s butt as she dances. Kitty a freak — handcuffs, leashes! And you can tell by the way it turns to the camera that it is not that cat’s first time. In another, frankly, disturbing clip, the cat is on all fours, just like The Stallion, trying to twerk. Except Megan is on her knees like a human, so the cat is also on its knees like a human. The result is a turtle-shaped, giant-headed cat shaking zero ass. It’s hilarious. At the end of the video, the cat sits back on a couch, smoking, while watching Megan on the catwalk. Man, this animated cat has seen more action than most of us in quarantine.

Directed by Colin Tilley, the big ass brain behind the “WAP” video, the music video is endless twists on classics, with just enough Meg in there to make them feel brand new. And, it’s carefree. When we look back on this era, we’ll find something wonderfully weird, unstained by the violence she faced this summer, but fully celebrating her strength. Though, we’ll most likely only remember it for setting off 2020’s hottest costume trend. All the Cheshire Cats at Zoom Halloween will be twerking to “Don’t Stop.”