{"id":124424,"date":"2026-10-15T07:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T07:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/?p=124424"},"modified":"2026-10-15T07:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T07:08:09","slug":"kittenfishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship-trends\/kittenfishing\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Kittenfishing Mean? 7 Signs Someone Is Doing It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Bored<\/p>\n

Kittenfishing is when someone makes themselves appear more appealing on a dating profile than they really are, usually by using old or heavily edited photos or slightly inflated details. It’s a milder version of catfishing, because the person is real but the profile is a more flattering version of them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Picture it: the photo looks great, the bio sounds even better, and then the person who arrives for the first date looks a little different. In kittenfishing dating, that gap is common, and it isn’t always intentional. <\/span><\/p>\n

This article explains what it means, how it differs from catfishing, seven signs it may be happening, and how to handle it. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>What Does Kittenfishing Mean?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

In simple terms, it’s making yourself look more appealing on a dating profile than you really are, usually with old or heavily edited photos or inflated details like your age, height, or job.<\/b><\/p>\n

The kittenfishing meaning comes from catfishing, where someone pretends to be a completely different person. It’s the smaller version: the person is real, but the profile stretches the truth. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why do people do it? Research points to a wish to be liked. <\/span><\/p>\n

A survey of 5,020 online dating users in the <\/span>Journal of Social and Personal Relationships <\/span><\/a>asked how likely people were to misrepresent themselves to get a date. The most consistent predictor was being highly tuned in to what other people want, which the researchers call other-directed self-monitoring.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Watch this Instagram Reel that sheds light on how kittenfishing can create unrealistic expectations and affect trust when two people finally meet in person.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A post shared by Live with Kelly and Mark (@livekellyandmark)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n