Skip to main content

A fond farewell to Grumpy Cat, the internet’s most famous feline

It’s almost too sad to think about, especially if you’re a cat or animal lover. Grumpy Cat — super meme of all feline bad attitude — died at the age of seven from complications related to a urinary tract infection. A message announcing her death on May 14 was posted on The Official Grumpy Cat Facebook page with an appreciation by her human family and, at this writing, some 43,000 comments, commemorations, and condolences from her millions of fans on both Facebook and Instagram.

“Besides being our baby, and a cherished member of our family, Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile all around the world — even when times were tough,” said Tabatha, Bryan, and Chyrstal, Grumpy Cat’s humans.

Grumpy Cat obit
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Grumpy Cat — originally named Tardar Sauce by the family’s young daughter — had a perpetually “grumpy” facial expression, not because she hated everything, but because of a condition called feline dwarfism combined with an underbite. Grumpy Cat seemed born an embodiment of recessive genes, as she resembled neither of her normal-looking tabby parents; dad cat is a gray striped tabby, mom cat is a calico, and neither have even a hint of a grumpy visage.

Recommended Videos

Despite her condition, Grumpy Cat maintained what appeared to be a full to bursting schedule — complete with personal event appearances, photo shoots, and commercials. Her accomplishments rivaled that of many humans, with movies, books, and even her own Madame Tussauds wax figure.

Grumpy Cat magazine shoot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It seems like forever — but it was just a few short years ago in 2012 — that Grumpy Cat’s family posted a photo of her on Reddit saying, Meet Grumpy Cat. Life for them, not to mention their cat, would never be the same. In 2013, her scowling, blue-eyed countenance was named Meme of the Year and she soon became an internationally recognized commercial success. She had some 8.5 million Facebook fans, 2.4 million Instagram followers, 1.5 million Twitter followers, and some 260,000 YouTube subscribers.

Grumpy Cat meetup
Image used with permission by copyright holder

She appeared on nearly 900 items in her own internet store and served as “spokescat” for Friskies cat food, starred in a movie called Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever, graced the cover of New York Magazine, and was the inspiration behind the bestseller, Grumpy Cat, A Grumpy Book. Her likeness is on toys and shoes, and she even has her own Grumpy Cat fragrance (Kitten Fur). Her owners had objected to allegations of exploitation, writing on their website that “99% of the time she is a normal kitty” and that “for the safety of our family and that of Grumpy Cat” she did not do personal meetings.

Grumpy Cat
The face that launched an internet meme machine. Image used with permission by copyright holder

I met Grumpy Cat at SXSW in 2015, and like every other crazy cat person in that crowd, I was enthralled, despite my dog-loving companions giving me the side-eye. In cat, she was super docile, extremely cooperative, and not averse to what I’d consider (as a 15-year cat volunteer at San Francisco Animal Care and Control) an excessive amount of handling. Exceptionally even-tempered and tolerant, Grumpy Cat was, in real life, the opposite of her online persona.

Grumpy Cat wallpaper
Image used with permission by copyright holder

With all the heartbreak and tragedy happening in the world every minute of every day, let us spare a moment for a sweet natured creature whose frown meant so much to so many. It’s no meme. RIP, baby girl.

Jackie Dove
Former Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
Bluesky finally adds a feature many had been waiting for
A blue sky with clouds.

Bluesky has been making a lot of progress in recent months by simplifying the process to sign up while at the same time rolling out a steady stream of new features.

As part of those continuing efforts, the social media app has just announced that users can now send direct messages (DMs).

Read more
Reddit just achieved something for the first time in its 20-year history
The Reddit logo.

Reddit’s on a roll. The social media platform has just turned a profit for the first time in its 20-year history, and now boasts a record 97.2 million daily active users, marking a year-over-year increase of 47%. A few times during the quarter, the figure topped 100 million, which Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman said in a letter to shareholders had been a “long-standing milestone” for the site.

The company, which went public in March, announced the news in its third-quarter earnings results on Tuesday.

Read more
Worried about the TikTok ban? This is how it might look on your phone
TikTok splash screen on an Android phone.

The US Supreme Court has decided to uphold a law that would see TikTok banned in the country on January 19. Now, the platform has issued an official statement, confirming that it will indeed shut down unless it gets some emergency relief from the outgoing president.

“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” said the company soon after the court’s verdict.
So, what does going dark mean?
So, far, there is no official statement on what exactly TikTok means by “going dark.” There is a lot of speculation out there on how exactly the app or website will look once TikTok shutters in the US.

Read more