The Sad Thumbs Up Cat meme features a teary-eyed, 'crying' cat with a photoshopped human thumb giving an affirmative gesture. It serves as the ultimate visual representation of 'I'm fine' when things are clearly going wrong. The image gained massive popularity on platforms like Reddit and Twitter around 2020, resonating with users experiencing burnout or mild misfortune while trying to remain positive. It belongs to the broader 'Crying Cat' subgenre of memes, known for their surreal and highly relatable emotive quality.