A social animal
Once you’re convinced that your cat has a distinctive look or a hilarious personality,
you’ll want to hit the social media scene. Forget Facebook, and head to Instagram —
it’s the hot spot for showcasing cats. According to Ashlee Gonigam, a pet publicist
who’s worked with Lil BUB, using hashtags like #catsofinstagram is key to “tapping
into the online pet lovers community and letting them find you.”
Gary the Bearded Cat is proof of this. As his name suggests, he looks like
he’s cultivated facial hair thanks to a black patch of fur around his chin. His
owner makes sure to entertain Gary’s 200,000 fans with two new pics every day
“without fail,” and adds that writing captions in Gary’s voice can take a couple of
hours. That’s commitment.
BY PHILLIP MLYNAR
PHOTOS COURTESY
OF THE CATS’ PEOPLE
HOW TO
MAKE YOUR
CAT INTO AN
STARInternet
If your
kitty dreams
of strutting in
the spotlight,
here’s a
step-by-step
guide to turning
her into an
online celebrity
Do you have a cat who looks like an alien? How about a vampire, then? OK, maybe your feline has a beard? Or perhaps your bonded kitties are involved in a great bromance for the ages?
If so, you’re in luck, as these are all physical ticks and personality traits
that have turned real-life cats into Internet stars. Here’s how your own
kitty can follow in their paw prints. Lil BUB
GOING VIRAL
The next step is to hope one of
your pics or videos goes viral.
Sometimes serendipity is at play:
Legend has it Lil BUB’s profile only
took off when a random Suicide
Girl with her own sizable following
began liking pictures on BUB’s
Tumblr; Gary hit the big time when
the powers that be at Instagram
posted a pic of him drinking water
from a bottle on its homepage.
He notched up 14,000 followers
overnight, with appearances
on Animal Planet and overseas
newspapers following.
An earnest call for help can
also propel your kitty skyward.
After the owner of a 2-year-old
rescue named Matilda noticed her
eyes growing bigger, she posted a
picture to the Reddit forum asking
if anyone knew what was going
on. Word soon spread about this
otherworldly looking kitty and,
just like that, she became Matilda
the Alien Cat. Some felines are
destined to become stars.
Gary the BeardedCat
