"Sad and depressed" Fishtopher the cat gets adopted after his profile goes viral
Fishtopher the cat was said to be "sad and depressed" as he waited for the day he would be adopted. But then, a photo of the feline exhibiting what is perhaps the world's most pitiful look went viral, and now, the tabby cat has found his new home.
Fishtopher, a 5-year-old domestic short hair and Bengal mix, is a "gentle, quiet, couch potato" who was being held at the Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center in Blackwood, New Jersey, after he was found as a stray.
"Fishtopher is not a fish out of water, but he is out of sorts at the shelter. He is very sad and depressed and will only eat when he has company," his Pet Finder profile says. "...He is a sweet, easy-going, laid-back boy."
The cat was described as a "big cheeky boy" who "loves being pet...and getting chin rubs."
That cheekiness helped his listing go viral.
"I live for fishtopher. i would die for fishtopher. i have never seen a more perfect being than fishtopher," one Twitter user said.
i swear to god. if one of you doesn’t go get fishtopher…https://t.co/fpr71yOUL2 pic.twitter.com/k6lLRoquCg
— Molly Clarke (@mollyaclarke) November 24, 2022
And that instant celebrity status worked.
On Saturday, Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center announced that their beloved animal that "went viral online with his sad, fat face" had found his forever home. He was so popular, in fact, that the center had "hundreds of inquiries" about adopting him and people even formed a line outside of the center to seek him.
But Fishtopher's fame hasn't dwindled since going to his new home. His new family has set him up with his own Twitter and Instagram accounts, sharing photos of videos of him looking significantly happier. The profiles are also being used to highlight other cats that need to be adopted.
He was taken in by Baltimore resident Laura Folts and her boyfriend Tanner Callahan, according to Insider. The article with their interview was shared by Fishtopher's accounts.
the original pics of when we first met Fishtopher! this was after we filled out our adoption paperwork and i think he already looks happier pic.twitter.com/5GtzvsIYtQ
— Fishtopher the Cat (@mrfishtopher) November 29, 2022
"I expected people to be like 'oh yay fish got adopted!' and move on but they fell in love just as hard as we did," Fishtopher's new owners tweeted from the account on Tuesday. "About 20 minutes into the car ride my phone started blowing up with notifications and requests for more pictures and updates!"
"I'm still in shock when i see the follower counts rising and we had no desire for this kind of attention when we went to adopt him," they continued, "so we're trying to do good by using this giant audience to find other kitties homes and give people the updates they keep asking for."