for the best song about an odorous pet". Madison Malone Kircher of Business Insider wrote that "Smelly Cat" predated the Internet as a viral meme by "becoming an oft-quoted and mimicked cultural touchstone for fans of the show." Victoria Dawson Hoff of Elle observed that the song threatens to "unseat 'I'll Be There For You' as the song that's most synonymous with Friends", explaining that fans still struggle to "get it out of our heads" nearly 20 years after it was released. Bustle's Rachel Simon agreed that "Smelly Cat" rivals "the theme song as one of the show's most unforgettable musical moments". CinemaBlend contributor Jessica Rawden attributes the song's popularity to several storylines that established "Smelly Cat" as an important aspect of Phoebe's life, ultimately becoming "ingrained into the cultural fiber of Friends". Cosmopolitan's Ellen Scott described the song as "glorious" and "iconic", to which any true fan knows the lyrics. Conversely, Lindsey Weber of Vulture found "Smelly Cat" is "overrated", believing it to be inferior to Phoebe's angrier songs. Live performances and covers Kudrow has generally refrained from performing "Smelly Cat" live under most circumstances, despite being constantly asked by fans. The song began to experience a revival in 2009 when a dance remix began circulating on the Internet. Upon learning about the remix, Kudrow said "I can't wait to hear if it is any good". In September 2009, Kudrow performed "Smelly Cat" live with actress Courteney Cox, who portrayed Monica Geller on Friends, during the Rock A Little, Feed A Lot benefit concert. Kudrow was originally intended to introduce musician Sheryl Crow, only for the audience to ask her to sing "Smelly Cat" instead. Kudrow then invited Cox to join her for the performance, for which the stagehands provided Kudrow with a guitar at Cox's insistence. The performance was met with a standing ovation from the crowd. Hello! joked that "hitting the right notes wasn't really a concern [for the actresses] if they wanted the performance to reflect Lisa's character's dubious musical talents", while Inquisitr's Asher Bayot reviewed the duet as awkward. The performance remained Kudrow's only documented post-Friends "Smelly Cat" performance for several years. In 2014, singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat sang an a capella version of "Smelly Cat" live at a Central Perk-themed pop-up café in Manhattan, New York, which had been launched to commemorate the show's 20th anniversary. Caillat's unscheduled performanced surprised many fans in attendance, who