I want GARFI to trump Grumpy 😉 In other words I’d like Garfi, who is a new but better version of Grumpy Cat, to take away some of Grumpy’s celebrity. This is because Garfi is a normal traditional Persian type cat whereas Grumpy’s fame comes from an accident of cat anatomy. If we are to have celebrity cats I’d rather the cats had normal anatomy as it better celebrates the domestic cat rather than exploits an “anatomical defect”.
Garfi has been described as the angriest cat on the internet or “menacing”. He looks p*ss*d off and grumpy too. None of it is true. It is just the way he looks. He does not feel these emotions all the time.
Garfi lives in Turkey so he may be a Turkish Angora for all know (on second thoughts, no I don’t think so) although he looks very much like a traditional Persian. That said genuine Turkish Angoras look quite like traditional Persians! Heavens, he may even be a purebred Persian.
Garfi has an FB page and a Flickr photostream.
I don’t really want to write anymore because for me it is boring 😉 However, I realise for some people cat celebrities are interesting. Personally I’d much prefer if they did not exist because ultimately it is a form of cat exploitation.
Here are some embedded pictures from the FB page and Flickr photostream. These may disappear in time because when pictures are embedded the source is not on PoC so I have no control over whether the photo is deleted or remains in place.
I deliberately embed photo avoid copyright issues. I wonder if people have paid Getty Images. The internet is such a wild west these days that copyright has all but vanished.
Dan, I’d love to meet Garfi. I’d expect him to be just a typical cat. He can’t have that expression all the time can he? 😉
Another cat made a fool of, it really annoys me when I see people using cats in this way. Why don’t they buy a Barbie doll and dress that up.
Garfi is a cat I first discovered on Flickr in 2007. Here is a link to his photos in the Really HUGE Cats/Really CUTE Kittens and Cubs Flickr photo pool:
https://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?w=445002%40N21&m=pool&q=garfi
His photos were submitted to three contest I ran in October 2007 — notice ELA removed all the photos of Garfi from the contests. She said that Garfi was not HUGE, he was just extra FLUFFY. I told her he was in the cute kitten category. She still didn’t like having him in the group:
https://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=garfi&w=445002@N21&m=discuss
He didn’t win anything, but he did win our hearts here at home. I had his picture as my computers desktop for a year or so.
So yes, I like Garfi and I agree that I like that he is not disabled, but I would miss Grumpy cat. I know, I know, I wish she was treated better by her seemingly fame-struck owner, but I enjoy seeing how happy she is. Yup. Look at her eyes. She is a happy cat! Garfi is just plain angry. I think the Huffington Post’s moniker of Angry Cat is going to stick.
Notice that a lot of the photos ELA shared of Garfi in the RHC/RCKC photo pool have the Getty Images license attached. I’m glad she is making honest money off her kitty. She obviously loves Garfi and he has a HUGE pool of ANGRY photos to share with the world.
When I told my now 19 yr old nephew he was so excited. Garfi made as laugh.
Me too Michael, that day can’t come soon enough.
One day people will become tired of seeing celebrity cats! I hope and pray.
Poor Garfi, another cat exploited, dressed up in stupid clothes to pose for photos, no wonder he looks so fed up. Never mind his expression, that has nothing to do with it, it’s just a cats expression, but look at his eyes, he doesn’t look at all happy to me.
Some one else not allowing their cat to enjoy being a cat, doing what cats like to do….they certainly don’t like being trussed up in clothes and wearing a ridiculous tie.
I wish everyone would just LET CATS BE CATS!