Over time, we've had some famous cats on the internet, like keyboard cat, grumpy cat, and others. This time our hearts were touched by this depressed cat that was first spotted on Petfinder.
Fishtopher's description specified that: "he is very sad and depressed and will only eat when he has company." On Wednesday, November 24, a Twitter user, Molly Clarke, shared a photo of Fishtopher followed with a caption: “I swear to God if one of you doesn't go get Fishtopher…”. From there, pictures of Fishtopher were shared and liked on the internet, and quickly, he became the "it" cat.
Due to the sudden increase in popularity, it didn't take long before the sad-eyed cat found his forever home.
Bored Panda got in touch with the current owner to get updates on Fishtopher.
Meet Fishtopher, a depressed and sad cat found on Petfinder
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
This picture of Fishtopher gained a lot of attention on social media, and soon after, he found his forever home
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Fishtopher's new owner shared how she found him: "We met Fishtopher from the original viral Twitter post. I (Laura) saw the listing and sent it to my boyfriend (Tanner) as I usually did. We had been talking about adopting a pet for a while, and I would send him Petfinder listings often. He had no idea how viral Fishtopher was, but still fell in love with him and applied to adopt him."
Now Fishtopher lives with his new family, Laura and her boyfriend Tanner
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
We were wondering what caught their eyes when choosing Fishtopher. Laura shared: "Obviously his sad-looking expression and bio were the first things we noticed, but Fishtopher was also really compatible with the type of cat we were looking for, laid back and chill. We wanted a cat we could hang out with together and pet."
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Laura wrote: "When we first got home, Fishtopher was very quiet and a bit timid but he quickly warmed up to us"
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Laura shared more details upon arrival to his new home: "It was almost like he was observing us and his new home, unsure if this was for forever or not. He quickly warmed up to us because he loved being pet and eventually started exploring the place more. I think he is very happy here and has started to open up and show his true personality."
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
The new owner continued: "Now, Fishtopher has stability and quiet. I think he was a bit overwhelmed at the shelter, as there were many sounds and other cats"
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Laura shared: "He really enjoys calm time just sitting around with us, getting petted, or sitting in his cat tower."
We were also wondering whether Fishtopher was their very first adopted animal. Laura wrote: "I have 3 rescue pets at my house from my childhood. I have 2 cats and a dog at my house. Tanner has a rescue dog from his childhood, but Fishtopher was the first pet we adopted all our own as adults."
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
"Fishtopher currently lives as an only cat," shared Laura
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
"We feel so incredibly lucky we got to take him home because he is a great cat who fits our life very well," shared Fishtopher's owner
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
Laura also added: "Over the days from when we saw his photo to when we adopted him, we both started falling in love with the idea of having a new pet in our home. We feel so incredibly lucky we got to take him home because he is a great cat who fits our life very well."
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
And lastly, Laura added: "We want to use Fishtopher’s fame to encourage other people to support their local animal shelters"
Image credits: mister.fishtopher
"Either through adoption, donation, or volunteering, there are many cats just as special as Fishtopher who need homes and support. We also want to help end the stigma and educate others about FIV, which is a disease in cats similar to HIV. FIV+ cats have a few extra needs, but often live full, happy lives and shouldn’t be seen as 'difficult'. We want people to be more open to adopting cats who may otherwise not be adopted, especially if they're older or have special needs" - Laura wrote.
Here is what people on Fishtopher's Instagram had to say:
Image credits: ikanread
Image credits: bzirpoli
Image credits: muddaquare
Image credits: metalmagnolia
Image credits: sanastratus