Nobiko, widely known online as the meme Longcat, has died from natural causes at a pet hospital on Sunday.
Nobiko’s owner, Miko, made the heartbreaking announcement via Twitter, according to Know Your Meme.
訃報
飼い主のみーこさんより、のび子さんが先ほど虹の橋を渡ったそうです。ご冥福をお祈りします。2005年頃から猫画像の加工がブームとなるなかで、のびーるたんの愛称で親しまれ圧倒的な存在でした。
地球に生まれて長生きしてくれてありがとう、のびーるたん🌈
※以下拾い物画像より pic.twitter.com/c7aOlgSLyi
— えあろうっちー (@aerosubaru) September 20, 2020
Nobiko was found lying in a weak state by her owner and was later taken to the hospital, where she passed away at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The cat was adopted by Miko in 2002. She was “thin and messy” after she was found, but a bath revealed a “snow-white” beautiful cat.
“Mr. Nobiko was deaf and couldn’t hear any sound, so she might have slept in the middle of the road,” Miko said. “I’m really glad that [we were] able to protect her before she was hit by a car.”
「ながーい」って言うと、うちの猫かなぁ。15年くらい前、ながーいコラをたくさん作っていただきました。その子は今も存命で、我が家の最長老猫です。 #nhk_suppin pic.twitter.com/uquWQtzlkf
— 無冠の女王みーこ＠高知 (@miyabi_2222) May 24, 2019
Nobiko gained massive online fame after appearing on the message board 2chan between 2004 and 2005. She eventually became a meme where she appeared in several edited pictures and became known as Longcat.
Her online moniker holds some truth. Nobiko was considered to be really tall standing at 65 centimeters (25.5 inches), Independent reported.
She skyrocketed to fame, with fans developing lore of fights involving her doppelganger Tacgnol and characters fans created such as Catnarok.
— Mew (@Mew_AoC) September 20, 2020
Many of Nobiko’s fans used social media to express their sadness.
The oldschool meme, longcat (actually a kitty named Nobiko), passed away today. RIP kitty-cat. https://t.co/65cL0k5SaT
— Steiner (@DistantValhalla) September 20, 2020
An owner lost her beloved 18 year old pet cat, and the Internet lost an icon from old times.
Rest in peace Nobiko aka Longcat. pic.twitter.com/S2v1bYrMCY
— Rosana Margarida (@rosecg) September 20, 2020
This is “Longcat” from the internet memes. I actually looked up this kitty just a few days ago and was happy to find that the kitty was amazingly still alive & 17 years old. However, it seems that this long cat has passed away today. Let’s remember the sweet-kitty fondly. https://t.co/n1Eu4me8Qd
— sylvie (@sylviefluff) September 20, 2020
rip longcat pic.twitter.com/z7CGX2eLWH
— rushork (@RushorkLive) September 20, 2020
RIP Longcat
He left a great legacy behind 😢 pic.twitter.com/tjMHHwSjIR— oatmeal cookie 🍪 -V’s Birthday Donation!- (@oatmealcookie02) September 21, 2020
The feline joins other internet-famous animals, such as Grumpy Cat, who died last year.
Feature Image via @aerosubaru
