There’s a reason why cats have established such a love-love relationship with the internet. Since the dawn of social media our feline friends have been making themselves viral stars, whether through absurd videos or simply unbelievable cute factor.
Fast forward to now and a number of cats have actually managed to become online personalities, in so far as racking up followers on Instagram goes. Cats like googly-eyed, furry-tailed Belarus, a 3-year-old from San Francisco who boasts 259k followers.
As per reports, Belarus, who has a set of crossed eyes, first shot to fame in June 2018 after he was picked up by the San Francisco Animal Care and Control shelter.
The shelter posted one of his pics to Facebook and, low and behold, he proved an instant hit.
In no time at all people were ringing in with offers of adoption for Belarus. One of the callers was Rachel Krall, who says she fell in love immediately.
“I thought he was absolutely adorable and hilarious,” she explained.
There was so much interest in adopting Belarus, in fact, that the shelter deemed the only fair way would be to hold a lottery.
As luck would have it, it was Krall who won the lottery. She told the Daily Mail:
“I think they liked me. I knew what I was doing and would take care of him.
“When I first saw him, I just thought he was the most hilariously adorable cat ever. I had never really been a cat person before but thought he would be the perfect cat. I sent his adoption picture to my family and their reactions were quite similar. They told me you have to go see him, so I did.
“His favorite hobbies include juggling, waiting for his food machine and looking in two directions at once.”
Krall says Belarus’ unique look comes as a result of abnormal positioning of one of his rectus muscles, though it doesn’t appear to affect his vision.
If anything, Krall’s distinct appearance has endeared him to the online public. People regularly contact his owner to tell her how beautiful he is, while others have said his photos have helped inspire them through tough times.
In response to the glowing feedback, Krall decided to see if she could turn her cat’s fame into a positive force. She set about creating partnerships with artists to create buttons and pins, the profits from the sales of which would go to those in need.
Krall was able to donate $6,000 last year alone to local animal shelters through the money raised from T-shirts with Belarus’ face on them.
“I just thought he was adorable. I didn’t realize all these other people in the world thought so too,” she said.
What a fantastic idea. We think Belarus is a beautiful boy!
Share this article if you agree that Belarus is handsome, and if you want to celebrate the fact he’s able to raise money for other animals in need.