The Cat Distribution System (CDS) is a viral internet theory and slang term suggesting that the universe provides cats to people who need them, rather than people actively seeking out pets. It gained massive popularity on platforms like TikTok and X in the early 2020s, as users shared heartwarming stories of stray cats appearing at their doorsteps, in car engines, or inside cardboard boxes. The meme humorously frames these encounters as a bureaucratic process where the universe 'assigns' a feline to a human, often targeting those who claim they aren't 'cat people.' It has become a unifying trope for the cat-loving community to celebrate the unpredictable and often life-changing nature of animal rescue.