Viral internet celebrity feline Grumpy Cat has died, according to an Instagram post made by her owners today.
Owners Tabatha and Bryan Bundesen, who hail from Morristown, Arizona, revealed that despite care from great vets, their famous cat Tardar Sauce (aka Grumpy Cat) passed away as a result of complications from a urinary tract infection.
Check out this Game of Thrones inspired Grumpy Cat video below:
Tabatha and Bryan wrote: "Despite care from to professionals, as well as from her very loving family, Grumpy encountered complications from a urinary tract infection that unfortunately became too tough for her to overcome. She passed away peacefully on the m0rning of Tuesday, May 14th, at home in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha."
They added: "Besides being our baby and a cherished member of the family, Grump Cat has helped millions of people smile all around the world. - even when times were tough. Her spirit will continue to live on in her fans everywhere."
Grumpy cat was a one of a litter of four kittens born to a calico mother and a blue-and-white tabby putative father. She appears permanently grumpy due to being born with a form of feline dwarfism, and a prominent underbite. Although she looked angry in appearance, the Bundesens always insisted "99 per cent of the time she is just a regular cat."
Grumpy Cat first came to prominence after a photograph of her was posted to Reddit by Bryan on September 22, 2012. The picture immediately went viral, inspiring numerous memes and image macros. Soon Grumpy Cat was appearing in news segments and was even featured in advertising campaigns for Friskies and General Mills' Honey Nut Cheerios.
Rest in peace Grumpy Cat: you'll be sorely missed.
Sadly, internet sensation Grumpy Cat - real name Tardar Sauce - passed away on May 14 from complications due to a urinary tract infection. The famous feline was born with dwarfism and a prominent underbite, which made her appear permanently grumpy.
After rocketing to stardom in a viral YouTube video in 2012, the cantankerous kitty amassed a $100M fortune for her owner, former waitress Tabatha Bundesen.
Of course, we know cats aren't long for this world compared to humans. (And humans aren't long for this world compared to ocean quahogs, which live to 400 years!) We'll always remember Grumpy Cat, and no one can ever take her place in our minds and memes.
But someone's got to carry the torch for the internet's most p***ed-off pet, and some people think they've found a worthy contender.
Meet Louis, a six year-old ginger-and-white Persian cat from Austin, Texas. He's got permanent resting bitch face, but it's not the result of a genetic disorder. It's just the face you get when you deal with a world full of annoying humans.
To paraphrase George Orwell, "At 6, every cat has they face they deserve."
Owner Michelle Alexis runs an Instagram account for Louis and her other cat, Monae, a Lynx Point Siamese.
As of this writing, they have 4,000 followers, which is just a bit less than Grumpy Cat's 2.7 million. But hey, you know how the internet works. A few viral posts, and maybe Louis will take the Grumpy Cat throne. The memes must flow!
Fans of comedian and actor Ricky Gervais - particularly those who follow him on social media - will certainly be aware of his beloved cat Ollie.
She was gifted to Gervais way back in 2003 by his showbiz pal Jonathan Ross on the presenter's show, but today the comedian has taken to Twitter to announce that, sadly, Ollie has passed away at the age of 16.
This is the moment Ricky Gervais first met his beloved cat Ollie, on a TV show way back in 2003:
Ollie had become something of a social media sensation herself, thanks to a Twitter account named @myleftfang, and tributes have been pouring in to the late cat on the site.
"I am so sorry to hear the news about Ollie @rickygervais It was so lovely that you shared her videos with us when you did. She was a beauty. RIP Ollie." one tribute reads.
Tributes and well wishes also flooded in on Instagram:
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Another fan wrote;
"You & Jane have my sincerest condolences. Through you, Ollie brought good, kind people together to help sad animals everywhere. I’ll miss making her little outfits & her crazy antics. RIP #Ollie- for a cat who never left the house, you’re going to be missed by thousands"
And Gervais' partner, the author Jane Fallon, wrote her own personal moving tribute to Ollie on her Twitter page:
"I have awful news. My smart, funny, feisty, beautiful sidekick of the last 16 & a half years @myleftfang has passed away after a sudden down turn in her health at the weekend. My heart is broken in two. I have no idea what I’m going to do without her by my side. #Ollie"
There's no doubt that the internet loves a cat. Think about all the famous felines who have managed to become viral superstars over the years. The lolcats started off the trend over a decade ago, and then we had Grumpy Cat who was perennially unimpressed with life, and many, many others.
But now there's a new cat on the scene, whose weird looks and occasional inability to close his mouth have made him a celebrity on Instagram. Meet Ikiru: an adorable shorthair cat whose facial expression is permanently goofy.
While you're at it, take a look at this video of Munchie, the adorable dwarf cat:
According to a report by British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail, Ikiru likes in the county of Yorkshire in England, along with his owners Emma and Rich. Emma and Rich fell in love with his unusual appearance and decided that they just had to share it with the world.
With that in mind, they launched an official Instagram account to promote him, and now it boasts almost 60,000 followers. Scroll down to check out some of their posts below.
Per The Mail, Emma and Rich have confirmed that Ikiru can close his mouth, but that he sometimes forgets to, leading to his tongue drooping out. According to an article featured on Pet MD, the reason why some cats tongues stick out is due to something called the ''Flehmen Response''. It’s part of a social behavior in many animals and is used to pick up chemical signals.
The Flehmen Response occurs when a cat picks up an interesting scent, and using their tongue, the cat will collect the scent with their tongue and flick it up into a special region of the olfactory sinuses called the ''vomeronasal organ.''
We have reported on a lot of unique cats over the last few months. Just today we introduced you to Xherdan the Canadian Sphynx cat, who has become incredibly popular on social media for looking like a grump "brain".
And back in September, we wrote about rescue cat Daisy, who was struggling to find a forever home due to the fact she had an unfortunate marking on her head that resembled a member.
And who could forget the hilarious reactions these pet cats were having to their owners using the feline filter:
But now, we may have found the cutest kitty we have ever covered on VT. We all know cats come in all shapes and sizes, with different colors and personalities - but this adorable feline may be the most unique cat you'll ever see.
The cat was spotted and shared to social media by Twitter user @TOKAITRICK_bot, who was able to snap pics of the kitten in the unspecified location.
Surrounded by a group of other cats, this particular kitty stood out as a result of its unique facial markings - markings that legitimately look like the silhouette of another teeny tiny cat resting on the cat's nose.
The videos and pictures recirculated on the social media platform last month, and @TOKAITRICK_bot shared an update with their followers revealing that they were now "playing" with the unique kitty:
According to Google Translate, the tweet reads: "Thank you for your introduction. Immediately after the video, we are currently playing with our cat."
The Daily Star reports that the cute cat is believed to be a stray, but looking at @TOKAITRICK_bot's recent tweets, it's possible they may have provided the unique cat with a forever home since first sharing pictures of the cat back in 2017.
TikToker, Cat Janice, who went viral for releasing a song to support her seven-year-old son, has tragically passed away aged 31.
In a statement shared on Instagram, the entertainer's loved ones revealed that the star passed away in her childhood home while "surrounded by her loving family."
"Catherine peacefully entered the light and love of her heavenly creator," the post began. "We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months.
"Cat saw her music go places she never expected and rests in the peace of knowing that she will continue to provide for her son through her music," the statement continued. "This would not have been possible without all of you."
Thousands of fans took to the comments to leave tributes for the late star, with many expressing their sadness at the loss of one of their favorite influencers.
"Heaven is singing tonight. I think we’re all better off for knowing Cat.. and when I say, 'knowing'x, I only knew her from afar... but her story will forever stay with me. God bless her family and especially that beautiful little boy of hers," wrote one user while another added: "Love to Cat for her journey to her perfection. Peace to Cat’s family for every bit of this new path of feeling her all around them as music to a heart. And grace to the community who understands the preciousness of this life and dances to make it better in every moment."
A third also stated: "I am wearing her sweatshirt today and just found out. Fly high sweet angel."
Cat Janice has passed away aged 31. Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post/Getty
Janice lost her battle with sarcoma, which is a cancer of the bones or soft tissue, after being diagnosed with the disease back in 2022.
As per the Daily Mail, she underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation - all while she continued to record and release new music - and was told she was cancer-free in July 2022. But just a year later, the mom-of-one shared the devastating news that the cancer had come back, but this time it had spread to her lungs.
Cat Janice signed off the rights of her music to her seven-year-old son. Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post/Getty
Her final update was harrowing, with the star revealing that she was receiving palliative care.
"It's been so hard for me to go through this and all these videos and covers and all your support has made it easier and I can't thank you enough," she said. "I've always been strong so spending weeks unable to walk has left me feeling trapped.
"But this helped me remember when I get to heaven I'm going to dance with God and soar above the clouds. I cannot wait," she continued before trying to hold back her tears. "I won't be stuck in this body anymore. I'll be dancing again. I hope to see you all there."
In the caption, she also added: "I've been stuck slowly passing, unable to move, cannot use my legs, trapped in this near lifeless body. Cancer is no joke and never plays nice. But this beautiful moment helps me remember that soon I'll be flying through the heavens, soaring through the next dimension, dancing with God and my Nonnie.
"I'll finally be free and boy am I gonna dance. My baby boy will having all these wonderful memories as well thanks to you all," she concluded.
It comes after the 31-year-old revealed back in January that she only had weeks to months to live.
"There's no easy way to say this [but] my time on this beautiful Earth is coming to an end [in] weeks or months, I'm not sure," Janice, who had just gotten married to her boyfriend, said. "I'm just so thankful I got to spend the last week in my own beautiful wedding to the love of my life."
Janice rose to fame after revealing on TikTok that she had transferred all her songs to her seven-year-old son Loren's name in a kind and selfless act for her family.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Janice's family during this difficult time.
Featured Image Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post/Getty
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