Dawwww. He thinks he’s people, or more accurately, a horrific monster whose only desire in life is to consume cookies.
The cat in question, Joey, belongs to a woman in Australia who enjoys humiliating her cats by dressing them up in an endless variety of adorable little outfits. (What sort of monster would do that?) She even posted a nod to the story this morning:
The now-infamous pajama image appears to have been first posted in 2015:
But poor Joey has been forced into these pajamas many, many times over the years:
As has his sister Rosie:
The Instagram account’s owner, Jennifer Stewart, is no stranger to viral fame. In 2015, the Daily Mail wrote about her cats’ Christmas outfits.
I am not 100 percent sold on this story, folks. I’m not saying that I’m convinced that this was all a planned screwup to somehow promote the U.S. Embassy in Australia; why, exactly, would they need to be promoted? But in today’s publicity obsessed world, it’s hard to imagine any institution, be it a government agency or a foreign embassy, that doesn’t yearn for a little taste from the cup of sweet virality. I think it is more than a little possible that the email was a set-up; it has all the ingredients of a viral hit. The internet loves cats, obviously, but it also loves email screw-ups.
And if I’m wrong, I’m happy with my decision to remain bitterly, painfully cynical about even the simplest joys, like a cat in a onesie.
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The Truth Hurts