DEC 6 THE FIVE MOST FAMOUS INTERNET CATS

DEC 6  THE FIVE MOST FAMOUS INTERNET CATS

The Internet mourned the sudden and tragic loss of one its favorite felines. Lil' Bub died on Sunday evening at the age of eight. Instantly, heartfelt messages flooded Facebook. Both Good Morning America and The View (where Lil' Bub had appeared) mentioned Lil' Bub. Why the fuss over a puss? Because cats rule the Internet. Duh! Let's check out the five most famous Internet Cats of all time.

Lil' Bub. The runt of a litter of feral cats, "Aww! Lil' Bub" were the first words Mike Bridavsky said when he picked up the sad kitty. His friends in Bloomington, Indiana were looking for a home for the scraggly, tiny and unwanted runt. A vet visit yielded sad news: Lil' Bub suffered from feline dwarfism. His chin never developed. This resulted in his tongue constantly hanging out. This made for adorable pictures.

Maru. This Scottish Fold cat from Japan holds the Guinness World Record for the most YouTube views of an individual animal. Why? Because Maru absolutely loves getting into boxes. It's fascinating to watch this cat operate. His obsessive personality results in never-ending attempts to squeeze into any sized box. Followers worldwide just can't wait to see what Maru will attempt to do next. His coffee table picture book, I Am Maru, debuted atop the Japan book sales chart.

Colonel Meow. A Himalayan / Persian mix resulted in some extraordinarily long fur in this particular cat. How long? Try a stunning nine inches long...also a verified Guinness World Record! However, it can be argued it's not the shaggy fur that launched Colonel Meow into global Internet celebrity super-status. It's that angry, fearsome dictator scowl. This cat looks more like Chairman Meow to us!

Nala. Like Lil' Bub, Nala was the runt of her family. A Siamese / Tabby mix with absurdly large brown eyes, she was adopted by Varisiri Mathachittiphan. She proudly named him after a Hindu deity. At first, Varisiri dressed up her cat and just e-mailed them to friends and family. But before she knew it...BAM! Nala went viral and now has 2.3 million Instagram followers.

Grumpy Cat. Atlanta based rapper T.I. said it best: "I paved the way for you new cats today." Grumpy Cat was the first cat to dominate online and then sell merchandise. See, things were different in 2006. Back then, cats shared the Internet with adorable puppies and cute babies. Then Grumpy Cat burst onto the scene and changed everything forever. The kitty with the permanent frown was on everything from T-shirts, backpacks, a million memes and...wait for it...women's underwear.