Tater Tot, the brave kitten who captured the hearts of animal lovers across the internet, has sadly died.
The adorable young cat came to the attention of feline fans after her foster carer, Ash Houghton, began sharing stories detailing his incredible recovery to social media.
Tater Tot was found by a volunteer from Kitty CrusAIDe, a small nonprofit animal-rescue organization in Utah, with a raft of health issues. A cleft palate made eating and drinking difficult, while all four of his legs were malformed.
The ASPCA estimates as many as 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters in the U.S. every year. But few, if any, were quite like Tater Tot and the internet knew it.
Houghton quickly found that Tater Tot’s progress was being keenly followed through the pictures and updates she posted on her Instagram account, ourfosterbabes.
Pictures and videos of Tater Tot soon spread to other social media platforms, including Twitter, where he became something …