Saturday Surprise — A Celebration of A Grumpy Life

Posted on by under animals, Saturday Surprise, Social commentary, Tributes

It is with great sadness in my heart that I must bring you the news:  Grumpy Cat has died.  😢

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Now, I can hear you saying that Saturday Surprise is supposed to be fun, not sad, and that the death of the world’s best-known Grumpy Cat is not a happy thing.  I agree, but … this post is not about Grumpy’s death, but rather about her life … rather a tribute, a celebration of her life in pictures.grumpy-3.jpgGrumpy Cat was rather the ‘Maxine’ of the feline world. Grumpy’s real name was Tardar Sauce, and while I always thought Grumpy was a he, he was in fact a ‘she’.  I guess I just think of grumpy beings as male.  (No comment from the peanut gallery here!)  Grumpy’s perpetual scowl, that earned her the nickname Grumpy Cat by which the world knew her, was actually caused by a form of dwarfism.grumpy-4She first achieved some level of Internet celebrity in 2012, after pictures featuring her frowning face went viral on social media, then turned into a mean-mugging meme.  It wasn’t long before Grumpy Cat was everywhere. She appeared on TV, popping up in episodes of “American Idol,” “The Bachelorette” and WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.”grumpy-5.jpgIn 2013, Grumpy beat out “Gangnam Style” and the “Harlem Shake” to win Meme of the Year at the Webby Awards. The following year, she scored her own Lifetime holiday movie, “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever,” a two-hour spectacle featuring the voice talents of actress Aubrey Plaza as the title character. Two years later, she made her Broadway debut, a one-night only appearance in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, “Cats.” Of course she did.grumpy-6In 2016, her sculpture was added to Madame Tussauds Las Vegas — and the cat was invited to curl up alongside her own wax figure.grumpy-tussaud.jpg

Grumpy Cat had amassed nearly 4 million combined followers on Instagram and Twitter, with a Facebook page that boasts 8.5 million likes.

In 2013, Grumpy became the official “spokescat” for Friskies cat food.

There is even a Grumpy Cat online store, Grumpycats.com, where you can find hundreds of products available for purchase, from ugly Christmas sweaters and laptop sleeves to drink coasters and guitar straps — all of them, of course, bearing the cat’s famous frown, usually along with a similarly surly message.

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grumpy-bookGrumpy wasn’t a huge fan of holidays …

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Grumpy Cat’s death is indeed sad, but you know what?  She will live on forever in both our hearts and on the Internet, for there must be at least a million pictures and memes out there.  And I close with a short video of some of her finest moments …

 

36 thoughts on “Saturday Surprise — A Celebration of A Grumpy Life”

  1. Namaste, Miss Jill! It’s me, Benjamin! I am sad about Grumpy the Cat, but I am happy that you made this for me. I didn’t know Grumpy was a girl, girls are okay, but I only know boy cats. Bye and thank you! Oh, I almost forgot to send a neckbuster hug and a kiss.

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    • Namaste, Benjamin!!! I’m glad you liked my tribute to Grumpy Cat. I was surprised that she was a girl, too. Yes, girls are okay … I know this because I am a girl, and so is your Gem. Girl cats, though, can sometimes be a little bit mean. We have one named Tiger Lily who is mean. A hug and a kiss for you, Benjamin!!! Have a fun week!

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  2. We mourn the loss of Grumpy Cat and Nala, but celebrate the joy and love that they gave. Cat People have to love Mark Twain, there were many photos of him and his cat, and the memorable words he spoke about a cat : “If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” In your time of sorrow, I send sincere and heartfelt condolences to you and your family. Thank-you!

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    • Thank you, Ellen! I have to agree with Mark Twain’s statement … while I’m more of a dog person at heart, cats and dogs both have gentler natures than humans. Many thanks, my friend!

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  5. Benjamin will be delighted with this sweet tribute to his beloved Grumpy the Cat. “Cats are like music : It’s foolish to try to explain their worth to those who don’t appreciate them.” – Unknown. Thank-you!

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    • You are right … I know some people who absolutely hate cats and I’ve never understood that. But then, I don’t even hate spiders, so …
      I hope Benjamin will enjoy the post … he rather inspired me to write it.

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  8. I obviously do not know how to surf the internet. I know nothing about a grumpy cat. In a lifetime of cats I never met a grumpy cat, though I have known some vicious ones, an arrogant one, and some very courageous cats. Who did what to that poor cat? She looks like she needed a friend…

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    • I hear she was actually quite happy and certainly got lots of attention! Now surely you have heard of or seen Grumpy Cat … in fact, I have used her photo on my posts from time to time. Methinks that vicious cats must be grumpy cats, else why be vicious. Our Tiger Lily is one such. You can be petting her, she’s happy & purring, and within less than a second she turns on you and either bites or shreds your hand. 😾

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      • I may have seen the picture, but did I know what I was seeing? Not as far as I know.
        I don’t think vicious cats are necessarily grumpy, but they seem to have limits. My Diabola Blanca, my little white devil woman, is like Tiger Lily (or vice versa). She loves me to no end, and will fight to keep all our other cats away from me. Apparently I belong to her. But no matter how happy she is, how loud her purrs, she has a limit I dare not pass. I don’t know what that limit is, but she surely does. When she strikes out, she does it with vigour.

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        • That’s EXACTLY how Tiger Lily is! Well, she doesn’t love me, for I have threatened to murder her on more than one occasion, but she is attached to Miss Goose and keeps all the others away from her as best she can. She has viciously attacked the others if they even looked like they were going to get pets from Goose. Sadly, we had to have Nala put to sleep today, so we are now down to five. 😥

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          • I am so sorry for you and Nala, Jill. And Chris and Miss Goose. And the other cats. Death leaves holes in families. Fill the holes with memories. Nala would like that.

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            • Thanks Jerry. It has been a sad day, but it was time … past time, actually. Yes, it does leave a hole, and the kitties have all been so quiet tonight that you wouldn’t know they are even around. Miss Izzy hasn’t come out from under the sofa all day/evening, not even to eat.

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                • Not quite gone, but Izzy did come out to eat late last night, and she’s the one I was most worried about, for sometimes even thunder will keep her in hiding for a day or two. They are all settling down now. So are we.

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                  • Sad, but good to hear.
                    Speaking of sad, I have to make you sad. High Level is threatened on two sides by wildfire, but so far the wind is blowing in a good direction for us. The bad part is the wind is against normal. It is blowing west, and our year-round wind blows east. We are prepared to evacuate as well as we can be if the need arises, but our main option is heading north, with no hotels or good emergency housing for at least 300 kms. West and South the highways are closed, and east has their own fires to worry about. I could be out of contact for awhile. We and the cats hope not. So far we are okay.

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