IN MEOWMORIUM: Famous Internet Cats We Lost in 2017

It’s never easy when a beloved furriend crosses over the Rainbow Bridge. This year, 7 Internet cats left for the spirit world, leaving their pawprints on our hearts.

GONE BUT NOT FURGOTTEN.

Scrappy. With his unique mottled coat, Scrappy was an instant Internet sensation, gaining fame seemingly overnight. Although he started out as an all-black cat – we’re not kitten! – a condition called Vitiligo set in around age 7, dramatically changing his coat to one of the most striking patterns ever seen. Senior Scrappy lived just shy of 20 years. While his Humans – and his many fans – are feline his loss, his legacy lives on in a rescue kayak team named after him.

Max the Roomba Cat. Max broke the Internet with his viral video “Cat In A Shark Costume Chases a Duck While Riding a Roomba” which has reached over 10 million views on YouTube – very impurressive! Follow up videos garnered him a place in the Feline Hall of Fame (which doesn’t really exist, but should). Sadly, Max passed away from cancer befur his 16th birthday. We like to think he’s now happily riding that great Roomba in the Sky.

Tuna, Star of The Acro-Cats. She was a feisty grrrrl with lots of catitude. The star of the The Acro-Cats traveling cat circus, she also played the cowbell in the popular feline musical group, the Rock Cats. Tuna was the utmost purrfessional – purrforming timed leaps and jumps and ringing the cowbell on command. But don’t be fooled – she didn’t do it to please Humans, she did it all for treats. You could say she had them trained. Oral cancer may have silenced Tuna’s cowbell furever, but her legend will live on.

My Cat Kyle. Kyle had 3 teeth, no claws, severe dandruff, hip dysplasia, a mustache, crazy whiskers and a crooked ear. But he wasn’t just hissterical looking – he was felinethropic. Having witnessed a murder in the home of hoarders, Kyle made it his life’s mission to advocat for pet-friendly domestic violence shelters. Despite a rough beginning to life, Kyle was living purroof that even after a history filled with violence and hate you can find love and acceptance. Rest in Laps, Kyle.

Pugsley Kitty. The exotic shorthair with the purrfectly round face was an Instagram favorite. But Pugsley was more than just a “flat-faced, fuzzy-butt, blue-eyed exotic shorthair” – he used his Internet fame to help pet rescues like Kensington Kitties and Sean Casey Animal Rescue in his native New York. Pugsley died unexpectly from a seizure/heart attack last January, but his family and fans won’t soon furget him.

Sophie Loves Tuna. Rescued from a hoarding house, Sophie won over the Internet with videos of her crawling into a doll bed to nap. But our hearts exploded when she got a boyfurriend – a neighborhood tom smitten with this kitten. Unfurtunately, Sophie developed a blockage from a hairball which required hospitalization. During intubation, she vomited, fluid got into her lungs and she died from pneumonia. Six months later, her Human Dad passed away unexpectedly. We like to think they are snuggling together now somewhere over the Rainbow Bridge.

Special Gracie Cat. The offspring of a feral cat, Gracie was born deaf, but that never purrvented her from living life to the fullest – she even learned sign language! Gracie was adventurous, curious and pawsitively fearless. Unlike most cats, Gracie loved walks on a leash, rides in the car, and going to stores and restaurants. She used her Instagram fame to help raise awareness about special needs cats, showing that world that having a disability doesn’t have to limit one’s pawsibilities. This precious grrrl passed away just after Christmas from lymphoma.