round-headed mao die

"圆头耄耋 (yuán tóu mào dié)" is referring to not only a Chinese internet meme, but also a specific orange tabby cat with a round head, and a grumpy or aloof personality. The term "耄耋 (mào dié)" originally refers to elderly people (around 70s or 80s), but in this context, it's a pun for "猫爹 (māo diē)," meaning "cat dad," implying the cat acts like a demanding bad-tempered elder.

Origin of the Cat

Round-headed Mao Die originated from a Bilibili user who frequently fed stray cats. One particular round-headed orange cat was noted for its aggressive behavior, driving away other strays. And one day, this cat went into that poor guy's house and he spent several hours to finally let the cat out. That video clip went viral on Chinese social media for this cat's hilarious expression.

Quick link to the original video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sT8AzgEQk/

Relation to Umamusume

The connection stems from an absurd memetic mutation on the Chinese internet. The character Tokai Teio from the anime Uma Musume Pretty Derby sings a brief song about honey water ("hachimi"), which Chinese netizens transliterated as "hajimi" and repurposed as standard background music for cat videos. Eventually, this cheerful audio was superimposed over clips of the aggressive "Round-headed Mao Die," creating a jarring juxtaposition of Japanese anime idols and hostile feral felines.

A Japanese explains the phenomenon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LygJ8XOv_F8