Cat that always sticks his tongue out brings cheer to people in lockdown

We are all going through a challenging time because of the coronavirus pandemic, and as we adapt to this new normal, a cat that always sticks his tongue out is here to bring cheer to everyone in lockdown.

Ikiru is an exotic shorthair cat who lives in Yorkshire, England, with his humans Emma and Rich. According to Emma, the unusual looking cat caught her eye on a breeder's website, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Watch Ikiru grooming himself in the video below: 

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In an interview with Bored Panda, Rich and Emma said: "Ikiru is really healthy and our vet told us he has some of the best teeth she has ever seen.

"Exotic shorthairs have a slightly pudgy face but he's very energetic and in great shape. Believe it or not, he doesn't always have his tongue hanging out, but it seems to be a quirk of his, leading to some amusing facial expressions."

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Because Ikiru is so unusual looking and has a penchant for sticking out his tongue, it was only natural that he'd end up a social media star, and he's now a hit on Instagram with 104K followers and counting.

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Ikiru is named after one of his human's favorite Akira Kurosawa films. His name means "to live" or "living" in Japanese.

"He's loving, affectionate, and grumpy in the best way," Emma and Rich said. "Ikiru is also playful and endlessly amusing. One particular quirk is he loves tunneling and hiding underneath things like blankets or sheets of paper, or staring at you upside down from the corner of a room."

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This is how unbelievably adorable Ikiru was as a kitten.

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Rich and Emma said Ikiru constantly makes them laugh with his silly facial expressions and antics, and he's a great source of joy for his followers on social media too.

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If you'd like to have Ikiru brighten up your time in isolation, you can follow him on Instagram here.