There are Instagram celebrities, and then there’s Nala Cat—arguably the biggest name out there when it comes to cat celebs. In fact, with 4.4 million fans on Instagram (yep, you’ve heard us right), Nala holds the Guinness World Record for being the most famous cat on Instagram.
Naturally, her success on Instagram translated to other social media pages, and Nala has even won Tik Toker of the Year at the 11th annual Shorty Awards. Over the years, she also gained international success outside of social media. So much so, that at one point she was even interviewed by Oprah.
Proving you don’t have to come from wealth in order to be wealthy, Nala is a classic “from rags to riches” kind of case. “The story of one kitten, Nala, starts off at a home where the owners could no longer take care of the cats and kittens because there were too many,” explained her owner Varisiri (Pookie) Methachittiphan on Nala’s personal website, where she shared how the now Insta-famous kitty began her life in a shelter.
“Nala was then taken away to the shelter where she was separated from her original family,” explained her momager. “Sadly we don’t know what happened to the rest of the cats or kittens, but when adopted, Nala was the only one left.”
“I went to my friend’s cousin’s house and we just wanted to go see some animals at the animal shelter and so I just went there without thinking that I was going to adopt a cat that day,” she further relayed. “Then, I saw her and I just couldn’t leave her, I had to take her home.”
At the time, Nala was just about five months old. But it didn’t take long for her cuteness to win over not only her new mom but what seemed like the entire internet. “I just started Instagram without actually thinking that she was going to be so famous,” admits Methachittiphan.
If you still don’t follow Nala on Instagram, it’s time you should!
