The worldwide impact of the Coronavirus is definitely massive, considering there are currently 3,041,777 confirmed cases (as of April 28) with over 200k deaths. And those are just cases with tangible numbers that are all, hopefully, accounted for. Another very real problem with a currently unknown scope is the effect this situation has on our mental health. As people are struggling to keep themselves sane, it's no wonder that many rely on humorous animal images.
Perhaps that's why it's unsurprising that this photo of a sneaky cat quickly went viral. "Check for cat arm b4 closing" says the sign taped to the inside of a fridge and, comically, we can see the cat arm right there, reaching for a delicious bite.
Bored Panda reached out to the cat's owner to find out more about the mischievous feline named Carrot. Turns out, the orange tabby was found at a gas station and had a pretty rough start:
"One of our best friends works at a local animal hospital. Someone found him at a gas station and brought him into the hospital. He was fostered for a bit by someone else but we suspect it wasn’t a good situation because he was very stressed and they ended up surrendering him back to the hospital. Carrot then lived at the hospital a couple of weeks, and our friend who worked there brought him over to our apartment one weekend when she was looking after him."
More info: Instagram
This was the photo that made Carrot a rising star on the internet
"It was pretty much love at first sight and we immediately bonded," the owners revealed, "we took him in to foster the following Monday and by Friday (less than a week later) we officially adopted him at 12 weeks!" The newly found cat parents couldn't be happier with their adoption: "He is both of our first cat and our best friend and we feel extremely lucky to have found him."
The owners elaborated on Carrot's personality and it turns out for such a small critter, he's got all the energy in the world:
"He is extremely playful and has the biggest personality. The way to his heart is to play for sure. Any time you engage him to play he will respond. He loves tag, play biting your hand, being chased, and playing fetch with his tiger (his favorite stuffed animal since he was a kitten). He is also very clingy. If he’s not napping in his closet, he’s never more than a foot or two away. He has special nap spots in every room in the apartment that he picks depending on what room we are in. He likes to act like he doesn’t like cuddling when we’re awake, but almost every night I wake up to him sleeping on my stomach or chest. He’s also super food-obsessed! We were able to teach him some tricks with treats."
The owners elaborated on Carrot's personality and it turns out for such a small critter, he's got all the energy in the world:
"He is extremely playful and has the biggest personality. The way to his heart is to play for sure. Any time you engage him to play he will respond. He loves tag, play biting your hand, being chased, and playing fetch with his tiger (his favorite stuffed animal since he was a kitten). He is also very clingy. If he’s not napping in his closet, he’s never more than a foot or two away. He has special nap spots in every room in the apartment that he picks depending on what room we are in. He likes to act like he doesn’t like cuddling when we’re awake, but almost every night I wake up to him sleeping on my stomach or chest. He’s also super food-obsessed! We were able to teach him some tricks with treats."
The cat's food obsession certainly gives some background to the image that was shared and liked thousands of times. Carrot's owners provided the full story behind the photo:
"Carrot thinks it’s a game to stick his arm through the fridge crack and grab us while we are in there. No, he has never been hurt by this (lots of people on the internet seem to think that) and luckily we are only a house of 2, are very careful, and we know when he’s doing it. The sign was put up as a reminder. The photo was not staged, and we actually didn’t even think of taking the photo until we saw him do it with the sign and laughed at how perfect it was. If it was staged we would’ve cleaned out our fridge! Haha"
"Carrot thinks it’s a game to stick his arm through the fridge crack and grab us while we are in there. No, he has never been hurt by this (lots of people on the internet seem to think that) and luckily we are only a house of 2, are very careful, and we know when he’s doing it. The sign was put up as a reminder. The photo was not staged, and we actually didn’t even think of taking the photo until we saw him do it with the sign and laughed at how perfect it was. If it was staged we would’ve cleaned out our fridge! Haha"
