Grumpy Cat may have been popular in the past, but people are loving a new cat meme, which came with an incredible side-eye look. So, let us introduce you to Mr. Fresh – the Side Eye Cat, a formerly feral tabby boy who went viral all over the world.
Born in the streets of Shanghai, and then slowly rising to fame through social media networks, the story of Mr. Fresh is quite inspiring as well as funny. Now let us proceed to explore the story of Mr. Fresh and his paws-itively unexpected popularity.
From street cat to star
This unique app called Hello Street Cat was launched in China in April 2023 and provided live streams of stray cats in different cities. It was initially designated as a live cam reality television series dedicated to cats for which viewers could contribute to the support of these felines. Among the whiskered stars of the app was Mr Fresh, an orange tabby with star-quality capabilities.
What set Mr. Fresh apart? His famous side-eye expression—the look of disgust that became popular among people all over the world. Whether he was pawing at a piece of string or indeed lounging in the sun, that passing glance was reminiscent of a judgmental? That’s what you’re doing?
Soon, the videos mimicking Mr. Fresh landed in TikTok and other platforms and he became the laughing stock across the world gaining millions of impressions.
Why do we love Mr. Fresh?
Mr. Fresh is not just a pretty face—or, rather, a pretty unimpressed face. The audience was quick to point out the fact that he loves new food and could pose at will.
Meme culture icon
People on social media fell in love with Mr. Fresh, turning him into an anthropomorphism of all things unabashedly unimpressed. His side-eye into everything that we have ever doubted. The fascination that grew around Mr Fresh even evoked numerous discussions concerning stray cats and how we can improve our urban street animals’ living conditions.
Challenges in the limelight
Of course, fame is a double-edged claw. Around January 2024, the negative impacts of Mr Fresh assumed the limelight. There was a disturbing group on Telegram that began sending threats to him and even providing bounties to harm him. This generated concern and prompted many people’s anger and desire for stray animals such as Mr Fresh to be protected.
But if all that wasn’t enough, Mr Fresh got an eye infection while all of this was happening. Luckily, animal welfare organizations came into play and took him to the veterinarian. His fans tried to support him, filling the social networks with encouraging messages and contributions to his medical bills.
A fresh start
Trending
By February 2024, after threats and his illness period, Mr. Fresh had a home forever. He was adopted and placed in a new protective home away from life on the streets.
Reply
