Police forces in the UK and Ireland have debunked AI-made images and videos showing a sinister Cat in the Hat outside homes at night. The material spread quickly on TikTok and was often styled as Ring doorbell footage. Many viewers believed a person in costume or an organised prank group was targeting neighbourhoods, with rumours of sightings in Sheffield, Glasgow and Dublin. A Wexford Garda spokesperson said the material was created through AI prompts that place the character into images and videos of familiar locations. The spokesperson said the Cat in the Hat was not in people’s driveways while they were away. Glasgow Police issued a near-identical statement, while Gardaí in Dublin and Limerick also said the circulating images were fabricated. Authorities pointed to unnecessary emergency calls that can result from viral AI hoaxes. Last year, a fake “AI homeless man” prank led to many unnecessary 999 calls. One parent believed a stranger was inside their home while their child was alone. The episode has been compared with the 2016 “killer clown” panic, although that involved real people in costumes. In January 2026, a popular TikTok cat account was also revealed to be entirely AI-generated. For people in Soomaaliya and the Somali diaspora who receive local-alert videos through TikTok, checking the source before sharing a frightening clip can prevent an invented scene from being treated as a real safety warning.