A Facebook post by the Mitchell County Animal Shelter announcing that Perdita, the “World’s Worst Cat,” was available for adoption made national and international headlines in newspapers, on websites and television shows. (Submitted)
SPRUCE PINE – A recent post on the Mitchell County Animal Rescue’s Facebook page has quickly become an international news sensation.
Within days of the post going public, newspapers, websites and television shows across the country and around the world have picked up the story about MCAR’s attempt to find a home for the “World’s Worst Cat.” Arm & Hammer also pledged to give a year’s supply of cat litter to the person who ultimately adopts Perdita.
The post was an attempt to find the home for the full-grown, 4-year-old female the post described as a pet “not for the faint of heart” whose likes include “staring into your soul until you may never be cheerful again,” the song “Cat Scratch Fever,” her favorite movie “Pet Sematary,” “jump scares,” “lurking in dark corners,” being “queen of her domicile” and “fooling the shelter staff into thinking she’s sick.”
“We thought she was sick,” the post continued. “Turns out, she’s just a jerk.”
Perdita’s adoption fee was waived, as she was described as “single and ready to be socially awkward with a socially awkward human who understands personal space.”
The post also stated Perdita, who arrived at the shelter on Christmas Eve after her owner died, does not like interaction with kittens, dogs or children, and hates being hugged by humans.
“She pretends like she wants you to pet her and love on her,” Brittany Taylor, MCAR’s office manager told ABC News. “As soon as you pick her up, she starts growling. She’s just all-out awful.”
MCAR Executive Director Amber Lowery said the post was intentionally humorous in an attempt to match Perdita with a person who has a similar personality.
“We received more than 200 applications for her from as far away as India, Russia and Hungary,” Lowery said Monday in an interview with the Mitchell News-Journal. “It’s been crazy. I never would have imagined all the attention this would get.”
Housing Mitchell County’s resident celebrity cat has been financially beneficial for the shelter as well. Many people have made donations to take selfies with Perdita and several donations have been made by people in honor of their own grumpy cats, Lowery said.
Lowery said some of the donation money has been used to get Perdita a more thorough health exam, and the person chosen to adopt her will be chosen when she gets the results of the exam form the veterinarian.
“We’ll probably know Wednesday,” Lowery said. “We plan to have the person come pick her up sometime this week.”