It is with a heavy heart we report the passing of Abbie the Cat.
If you don’t know who Abbie the Cat was, please hand over your computer and your Internet connection, because Abbie was one of the original Internet celebri-kitties.
Unlike current Internet kitty sensations (Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat, Colonel Meow, Henri, et al.), Abbie boasted a quiet posse on a humble Internet platform many of us started out on (but then eventually abandoned) — yes, I’m talking about Blogger.
It was March 2001 when Abbie took to the keyboard, writing in the original Cheezeburger dialect (only, back then it hadn’t yet been named), detailing the adventures of his day in fierce, terse poetics:
so there is a big secret here today
the big secret is that someone decided to use the bathtub for a hatbox
and I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t the guy
prelimilnarty forensicsreports indicate it was a cat
hmmmmmm.
if anybody needs me I will be sitting quietly in the corner
deducing this most heinous crime
yes, thats right, deducing
on the other hand the catbox is now sparkling clean
The post received exactly one comment, which was spam. And not the kind you can eat.
However, as the years progressed, Abbie gathered a posse, as well as some legitimate comments, and the cat became emboldened. For instance, in January 2003, Abbie won a prize and boasted about it:
byt the way I donot think you knwo but I wond a prize
It is a Prize for Best Napping
I am the nap master you see and when it comes to taking npas I am Very serious
we don’t fool around with naps here
you might thinnk you are a better napper but I am better than you, that is without question
so I have won andi have the prize to prove it
I ouwld let you look but i amsleeping on it
see I even nap when I type
it is a great skill and one to bre proud of
But now Abbie the Cat has embarked upon the biggest, longest nap of his life. At the noble age of 16, Abbie developed terminal cancer, crouched, and leaped over the Rainbow Bridge on July 23, 2013. The Guy wrote a final post on Abbie’s behalf. Grab a tissue before you read it — cause you’re going to need it, especially when reading this:
He lays his head down on his outstretched paws and does his best to breathe. It is frightening, but he is not alone. He is surrounded by the people he has loved and who have loved him for so long. And the cats who have Gone Before are with him. They sit in the shadows and the sun, singing to him a song they have always known. He quietly listens, eyes half closed, and sings along in his head. Soon he will join their song.
Now there are many heartfelt comments — and none of them is spam.
Rest in peace, Abbie, your posse shall make sure your memory lives on.
Photos via Abbie the Cat Has a Posse
Read about other Internet kitties on Catster, for whom Abbie paved the way:
- The Zen of Bub: 5 Life Lessons I Learned from the Lil Bub Movie
- We Talk to Henri Le Chat Noir About Hollywood, Caturdays, and Dogs
- Catster Interviews Colonel Meow — and Emerges Unscathed
About Liz Acosta: Catster’s former Cuteness Correspondent, Liz still manages the site’s daily “Awws,” only now she also wrangles Catster’s social media. That’s why she wants you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and — her personal favorite — Instagram. See ya there!
