Grumpy Cat Crowned Forbes 2017 Pet Influencer of the Year

Grumpy Cat may be best-known for her ever-grumpy pus, but now Forbes has recognized her as the Top Pet Influencer of 2017!

‘Pet Influencers are a thing.’ According to Forbes Magazine, a real big thing! In an age of online stardom, influential pets like Jiff and Boo or kittehs Nala and Lil Bub are media darlings, living lives most of us only dream of living, and influencing all sorts of things from pet products to opinions. Forbes Magazine has just recognized those influential pets and given famed Internet wonder Grumpy Cat the honor of being the Top Pet Influencer of 2017.

Grumpy Cat belongs to Tabatha Bundesen, whose brother put a picture of Grumpy Cat on Reddit in 2012. No one believed that the dwarfism and underbite leading way to Grumpy Cat’s iconic look was real, and many thought the picture was photoshopped!

Bundesen says her brother proved Grumpy Cat to be real in a video, and within 24 hours, the tiny wonder with a distinct disposition became an overnight sensation with over a million views. Meme after meme popped up featuring Grumpy’s grump, and in the years since, she’s taken the Interwebs by storm.

In 2013, Grumpy became the official spokescat of Friskies pet food, and has also made licensing deals with companies like Hot Topic and Gund. Grumpy Cat toys, shirts and accessories are all over the place, and in 2014, her “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever” television debut was a national hit.

Bundesen says that she believes pet influencing isn’t a trend–and that top pet influencers can be just about any pet that brings others joy, and can be taken from any regular old household. And in a world where a sour-puss kitteh makes people laugh so much that they snort? That’s clearly the case!