aid: cataas name: Cataas description: >- Cataas (Cat as a Service) is a free, open-source REST API that returns random cat images and GIFs with optional tags, filters, sizing, and text overlays. The service is widely embedded in tutorials, demos, README files, and chat applications as a friction-free image source. The canonical implementation lives at github.com/cataas/cataas and runs at cataas.com. url: https://cataas.com/ specificationVersion: '0.20' created: '2026-05-28' modified: '2026-05-30' x-source: public-apis/public-apis x-category: Animals x-type: opensource x-tier: 3 x-tier-reason: bulk-registered-from-public-apis tags: - Animals - Cats - Images - Open Source - Public APIs apis: - name: Cataas description: >- Random and tagged cat image retrieval with optional sizing, filtering, and text overlay. Includes a JSON catalog API and admin/upload endpoints for the canonical hosted instance. humanURL: https://cataas.com/ baseURL: https://cataas.com tags: - Cats - Images properties: - type: Documentation url: https://cataas.com/ - type: OpenAPI url: openapi/cataas-openapi-original.yml - type: JSONSchema url: json-schema/cat-schema.json - type: JSONSchema url: json-schema/count-response-schema.json - type: JSONSchema url: json-schema/upload-cat-request-schema.json - type: JSONSchema url: json-schema/edit-cat-request-schema.json - type: JSONStructure url: json-structure/cat-structure.json - type: JSONStructure url: json-structure/count-response-structure.json - type: JSONStructure url: json-structure/upload-cat-request-structure.json - type: JSONStructure url: json-structure/edit-cat-request-structure.json - type: Example url: examples/cat-example.json - type: Example url: examples/count-response-example.json - type: Example url: examples/upload-cat-request-example.json - type: Example url: examples/edit-cat-request-example.json - type: NaftikoCapability url: capabilities/cataas-cats.yaml - type: NaftikoCapability url: capabilities/cataas-catalog.yaml - type: NaftikoCapability url: capabilities/cataas-upload.yaml - type: NaftikoCapability url: capabilities/cataas-admin.yaml - type: SDK url: https://github.com/iArmanKarimi/Cataas-API-js title: JavaScript / TypeScript Wrapper (community) - type: SDK url: https://github.com/iArmanKarimi/Cataas-API-go title: Go Wrapper (community) - type: SDK url: https://github.com/chimpook/cataas-api-php title: PHP Wrapper (community) common: - type: Website url: https://cataas.com/ - type: GitHubOrganization url: https://github.com/cataas - type: GitHubRepository url: https://github.com/cataas/cataas title: Canonical Cataas server (Node.js) - type: GitHubRepository url: https://github.com/cataas/discord-bot title: Cataas Discord bot - type: GitHubRepository url: https://github.com/cataas/slack-command title: Cataas Slack slash command - type: GitHubRepository url: https://github.com/cataas/image-editor title: Cataas image editor library - type: Tools title: MCP Server (community via Pipeworx Gateway) url: https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-cataas - type: PublicAPIsListing url: https://github.com/public-apis/public-apis - type: SpectralRules url: rules/cataas-spectral-rules.yml - type: Vocabulary url: vocabulary/cataas-vocabulary.yaml - type: JSON-LD url: json-ld/cataas-context.jsonld - type: Features data: - name: Random Cat Image description: GET /cat returns a random cat image (JPEG, PNG, or GIF). - name: Tagged Cat Retrieval description: GET /cat/{tag} returns a random cat matching one or more comma-separated tags. - name: Animated GIFs description: GET /cat/gif returns a random animated cat. - name: Text Overlay description: GET /cat/says/{text} renders user-supplied text on top of a random cat with configurable font size, color, and background. - name: Image Filters description: filter=blur|mono|negate|custom with per-channel and per-property tuning (brightness, hue, saturation, RGB). - name: Sizing and Cropping description: type, width, height, fit, and position query parameters resize and crop the returned image. - name: JSON Catalog API description: /api/cats, /api/tags, /api/count expose the catalog programmatically. - name: Content Negotiation description: json=true returns a metadata document instead of binary; html=true returns an embedding wrapper page. - name: Free and Unauthenticated description: All read endpoints are public and require no API key. - type: UseCases data: - name: Tutorials and Demos description: Embed live cat images in API tutorials, learn-to-code lessons, and conference demos. - name: README Decoration description: Decorate open-source READMEs and personal sites with rotating cat imagery. - name: Chat Bots and Slash Commands description: Slack, Discord, and Teams bots fetch random cats on demand via /cat or /cat/says. - name: Mocking Image-Heavy APIs description: Stand in for a real image-CDN-backed API while prototyping front-end layouts. - name: Image Pipeline Testing description: Exercise resize, format-conversion, and filtering pipelines with predictable image input. - type: Integrations data: - name: Slack description: Official slack-command repo wires /cat into Slack workspaces. - name: Discord description: Official discord-bot repo provides a Cataas Discord integration. - name: Pipeworx MCP Gateway description: Community MCP server (pipeworx-io/mcp-cataas) wraps the API for use by Claude and other MCP clients. - name: Public APIs Catalog description: Listed in the public-apis/public-apis Animals category. - type: Solutions data: - name: Self-Hosted Catalog description: Run your own Cataas instance from cataas/cataas (Node.js + MongoDB + sharp) to power internal demos or branded image services. maintainers: - FN: Kin Lane email: kin@apievangelist.com