Is Grumpy Cat Dead? Rumors Of Tardar Sauce’s Untimely Demise Take Twitter By Storm

The internet went into a tizzy Monday after rumors swirled around the purported death of Tardar Sauce, the cat best known as Grumpy Cat. The funny-faced pet is arguably the most famous feline in cyberspace, and she is no stranger to death hoaxes — just like human celebrities. The first time Grumpy Cat fell victim to the notorious internet death hoax was on April Fools’ Day in 2013.

This time around, it apparently began with David Weiner, a Digg editor-at-large. “Is Grumpy Cat dead? I’m not happy I’m asking this question, but here I am, asking it,” he wrote Monday. Weiner has almost 10,000 followers, so his query alarmed dozens of netizens.

Those who were worried about the cat (aka Tardar Sauce) should be relieved to learn the death hoax was nothing more than speculation. Her manager, Ben Lashes, denied the phony claim in an email to International Business Times Monday. “I’m happy to say these are just hoax rumors going around that I believe were started by Twitter pranksters,” he said. “Grumpy Cat is at home right now playing with her brother Pokey and trying to stay grumpy on #NationalPetDay.”

Grumpy Cat was active on social media Sunday for National Siblings Day but has not posted anything since the death hoax made waves.

The famous feline celebrated her 4th birthday April 4. Grumpy Cat won a Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Friskies Awards for best cat videos, before she was even 2 years old. “In her short year and a half, she’s accomplished so much,” Shawn Brain, then the brand manager handling Friskies cat food, said at the time. “So she seemed like the ideal candidate for the award.”

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