‘Cat in the Hat’ stalking Wexford residents is AI-generated, gardaí say

Videos circulated on social media show the character, or a figure dressed as the character, allegedly harassing Wexford residents. Picture: Wexford gardaí

Images and videos on social media depicting Dr Seuss’ character the Cat in the Hat stalking residents across Wexford are AI-generated and a byproduct of internet memes, according to Wexford Gardaí.

Videos circulated on social media show the character, or a figure dressed as the character, allegedly harassing Wexford residents, pursuing residents with a knife or peering through homeowners’ windows.

A parodied post from the tabloid The Sun warning of a ‘Cat in the Hat fraud’ stalking homes in the Wexford, Curracloe and Enniscorthy areas also circulated online.

Some Wexford residents appeared to be genuinely worried about the AI creations.

“Just a bit concerned...I was wondering if anyone has any clue,” wrote one user in a Gorey community forum on Facebook.

Gardaí reassure Wexford residents

“In an unusual turn of events we are hearing a lot about an elusive Dr Seuss character doing the rounds online, apparently causing havoc in neighbourhoods and towns across the country,” read a post on An Garda Síochána Wexford's Facebook page.

"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."