Tired of waking up every Monday morning and dragging yourself to a cubicle? Go adopt a cat. Follow in the pawprints of the likes of Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub and your bank account will thank you.
Check out how the Top 10 Instafamous felines below went from rags to riches.
#10 Colonel Meow
@colonelmeowandfriends
Colonel Meow looks like he stuffed a fork into a socket and makes #5,000 annually off of it from YouTube royalties. Plus, we can’t forget about his position as CEO of Buzzfeed.
The kitty holds the 2014 Guinness World Record for longest fur, looks like a super villain and was Grumpy Cat before Grumpy Cat even existed.
#9 Pudge
Mostly asleep and largely apathetic, Pudge the cat doesn’t let Instagram fame get to her head. With her merch line, she makes enough to break even. Her human doesn’t believe that Pudge needs to a feline rollin’ in cash and Pudge couldn’t seem to care less. She barely does endorsements, has the occasional meet and greet and only created a line of mugs due to unrelenting requests from people’s Great Aunts.
#8 Sam
Perpetually worried and constantly surprised, Sam’s account follows him through his day-to-day as he nervously navigates photoshoots and midday naps. He’s got his own book deal and will do the occasional sponsored post. Sam makes enough from Sam, The Cat With Eyebrows and his merch line to keep in catnip indefinitely.
#7 Venus the Cat
Venus, the cat whose genetic makeup has scientists baffled. Some say she’s a chimera (two , others a stroke of absolute luck coupled with heterochromia (two different coloured eyes). In any case, she is one alluring feline.
Her unique looks have gained her internet fame with over a million Instagram followers. She does meet and greets, has a plush toy modeled after her and participates in sponsored posts for the likes of Febreze. Rumour has it, she makes $6,000 off of each sponsored post.
For a farm cat discovered by chance, this small town kitty now lives the life of an Instagram model.
#6 Princess Monster Truck
Princess Monster Truck aka the internets feline overlord was discovered in Brooklyn by a pair of artists. She’s got her own merchandise line, you can get her so-ugly-it’s-cute face plastered across a sweater for fifty bucks. Or, stuff your own cat into one of her tote bags. We don’t care what you do with it, but you should probably own one.
PMT uses her internet stardom to advocate for animal rescue and has starred in an American Express video in return for a “sizeable donation” to the Sean Casey Animal Rescue. She’s got an underbite you could hang your dry cleaning off of and resembles an 80’s sci-fi space creature but we still really want to pet her.
#5 Hamilton the Hipster Cat
Hamilton the Hipster Cat reportedly earns $15,900 annually, pulling in an average of $3,000 per sponsored post. A true dapper gentleman, he has donated most of it to charity.
The mustachioed feline does not do public appearances, preferring (like most hipsters) his online presence. It’s not uncommon to find him pouring over some vinyl or sippin’ on a PBR, ironically of course.
#4 Lil Bub
Philanthropist Lil Bub has donated over $200,000 to the ASPCA from her merchandise line. The adorable little kitty also pulls in an estimated $30,000 in YouTube royalties a year.
On top of overcoming bone disease, Lil Bub rescued her owner from debt and depression. She captured the heart of the internet and we could not love her more. Check out our feature profile on Lil Bub.
#3 Maru
Maru the sassy, box-loving kitty cat was the subject for the ridiculously successful book, I am Maru. The outrageously cute Scottish Fold has an online presence which could give Miley Cyrus a run for her money and (according to the Washington Post) has an approximate value of $180,000. This kind of job definitely beats being stuck in a cubicle… but maybe not a box.
#2 Nala Cat
Nala Cat is a rescue who made her owner a ridiculous amount of money. The kitty has stunted legs, big periwinkle blue eyes and, according to MSN, makes $15,500 for each sponsored post.
Nala may be adorable but she’s also a shrewd businesscat and supplements her income with a line of merchandise varying from cat trees to calendars. With over 3 million followers on Instagram, this blue eyed beauty queen makes enough to keep her and her owner living comfortably.
#1 Grumpy Cat
Rumours that Grumpy Cat made $100,000,000 a year have been refuted by his owner. A cat making the same coin as Oprah was a little farfetched. That being said, Tardar Sauce (the cats given name) sits pretty on top of a hugely successful merchandise line, has starred beside Aubrey Plaza in a Christmas film and has published two books. Her meme manager (yes, you heard that right) Ben Lashes stated in 2013 that her income was in the “low six figures”.
Not bad for a creature with a permafrown.