Where is Julian Assange's cat? The internet wants answers right meow
No, we're not kitten. The "Embassy Cat" even had social media accounts.
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is in British custody after losing asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday. But what about his cat?
Assange wasn't always alone in his embassy exile. For at least part of the seven years he was there, he had a feline friend who was featured on social media and had its own Instagram and Twitter accounts. Embassy Cat's social media bios even got punny, stating, "I live in the Ecuadorian Embassy with Julian Assange. Interested in counter-purrveillance."
And when Assange was taken into custody, some on social media worried about the cat.
Is Julian Assange’s cat going to be okay though?
— Hannah Al-Othman (@HannahAlOthman) April 11, 2019
The cat appears to have been just a kitten when Assange took it in, based on Instagram and Twitter photos. Its accounts began in May 2016. No new Instagram photos have been posted since March 2017, although the Twitter account was still retweeting in March 2018.
During its time in the embassy, the cat played with celebrity visitors, including filmmaker Michael Moore, and did regular cat things, like hiding in a hat or slopping milk on the floor.
The Washington Post scratched into the cat's current status and clawed up some conflicting reports. Former WikiLeaks staffer James Ball tweeted that the cat was reportedly given to a shelter.
For the record: Julian Assange’s cat was reportedly given to a shelter by the Ecuadorian embassy ages ago, so don’t expect a feline extradition in the next few hours.
— James Ball (@jamesrbuk) April 11, 2019
(I genuinely offered to adopt it)
But back in November, Hanna Jonasson of Assange's legal team said the cat managed to avoid the shelter and was given to Assange's family.
In the same document in which Ecuador threatened to hand Assange over for arrest, Ecuador also threatened to put Assange's cat in the pound.
— Hanna Jonasson (@AssangeLegal) November 27, 2018
Insensed at the threat, he asked his lawyers to take his cat to safety. The cat is with Assange's family. They will be reunited in freedom. pic.twitter.com/W9FvDbvQgw
It's unclear if the cat had a name. In a 2017 profile in The New Yorker, Assange called it both "Michi" and "Cat-stro." Online, many called it James.
I wonder what will happen to James, Julian Assange's cat, who also lived in Ecuador’s London embassy pic.twitter.com/YYOUZS9K1V
— bianca bharti (@biancabharti) April 11, 2019
And some on the internet just had fun with the idea of a cat companion living in exile.
"There's ZERO chance Assange's cat isn't the head of WikiLeaks," wrote one Twitter user. "Julian is the fall guy. This was always the plan."
.@DailyCaller researchers @amber_athey and @AryssaDamron with the scoop: There's ZERO chance Assange's cat isn't the head of Wiki Leaks. Julian is the fall guy. This was always the plan. pic.twitter.com/FjvSEg8d2k
— Jessica Fletcher (@heckyessica) April 11, 2019
No cat! That’s a #flerken! 😳 pic.twitter.com/oY85hF9Yde
— Scott Blade | Nomadvelist (@iamscottblade) April 12, 2019
I'll look forward to reading the Meowller Report. pic.twitter.com/FGFnkoDLMr
— Laurie (@LaurieLovesIt) April 12, 2019
Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure of Toonces!😂✌️ pic.twitter.com/9VMnD8RMET
— Slaur (@LaurelRamoser) April 12, 2019
Naturally, someone even started a new Twitter account for the cat. One of its first tweets plays off one of the oldest cat memes, writing, "I can haz extradition?"
Originally published 10:03 a.m. PT.