Harris’ VP Pick Tim Walz Is Source of ‘They Went After Cat People’ Viral Sound

Getty Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are pictured.

Vice President Kamala Harris‘ choice for her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, is the source of a sound that went viral on TikTok almost two weeks ago. The quote begins with him saying, “My God, they went after cat people.” Thousands of people have used the sound to make their own videos.

Thousands of People Have Made Videos with His Sound

Walz said his quote during an interview on MSNBC almost two weeks before he was chosen as Harris’ running mate. On TikTok, an account called Kamalaswins is one of the original sources using the quote. As of the time of this article’s publication, the video had more than 200,000 likes and more than 15,000 shares. In addition, more than 1,600 videos on TikTok had been made using the sound.

Many TikTok posters are using the part of the quote where Walz says, “My God, they went after cat people. Good luck with that. Turn on the Internet and see what cat people do when you go after them.”

A longer version of Walz’s full quote reads: “And I don’t believe it’ll work. And I tell you what, go ahead and continue to denigrate people. Go ahead. My God, they went after cat people. Good luck with that. Turn on the Internet and see what cat people do when you go after them. These people. They. I. If it would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. They see the, they see the least fortunate among us as scapegoats and punch lines for them. Kamala Harris and Democrats see them as our neighbors. That is a big difference. That’s a big difference attacking real problems. They don’t wanna tackle things that are tough…”

His quote begins at 30 seconds into the MSNBC video below.

But most people who are sharing the sound on TikTok are using the shortest part of the quote along with a video of their cats. For example, TikTok user LivviKay shared this on July 26.

After Harris’ pick was announced, the account TwoFelinesandaCanine shared a video with the sound and wrote, “Kamala picked our cat guy Tim Walz as her VP.”

Walz Owns a Rescue Cat & Dog

Walz is a pet owner himself. In 2019, he adopted Scout, a black lab mix from Midwest Animal Rescue & Services, Star Tribune reported. Walz had promised his son, Gus, that if he won his governor’s campaign he’d get Gus a dog. And he kept his word.

Walz also had an orange tabby cat named Afton who went missing in August 2023, Fox9 reported. He shared the news on Facebook and asked his neighbors to keep watch for the cat.

Sadly, they never found their cat, he shared in an updated post in December 2023, adding that they still hadn’t given up hope.

In late December 2023, not wanting to go too long without having a cat, the Walz family adopted an orange-and-white rescue cat named Honey, he shared on Facebook. “(She) already has a few favorite spots: under the street and right on top of whatever I’m trying to read,” he wrote.

Walz served for 24 years in the Army National Guard, retiring with the Command Sergeant title in 2005, according to his governor’s bio. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 and re-elected for another five terms. He was then elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and, in 2022, won his re-election bid.

Before joining public office, Walz taught high school geography, The Guardian reported.