Gacek
Gacek roaming around a Szczecin street.
SpeciesFelis catus
SexMale
Bornca. 2013
Szczecin
Nation fromPoland
Known forSzczecin's top tourist attraction

Gacek (Polish: [ˈɡat͡sɛk]) is a male domestic cat with tuxedo fur, which over the years 2020–2023 became a prominent tourist attraction in the city of Szczecin, Poland. The feline maintained a five star rating on Google Maps.[1] He was born around 2013 according to reports by local residents who claimed to have started seeing him since then.[2]

Popularity

This animal's fame began when a German tourist uploaded a video showcasing Gacek's story on YouTube which went viral and reached over 4.5 million views.[3] Gacek is a feral cat, but he was most often found resting in a wooden booth built specially for him on Kaszubska Street, in downtown Szczecin.[4] The cat attracted the attention of tourists, including foreigners. Some people visited Szczecin specifically to meet Gacek, who has been dubbed the "King of Kaszubska Street".[4]

Reuters has called Gacek the "Kim Kardashian of the cat world", because of the many Gacek-themed souvenirs for sale along Kaszubska Street.[5] International media has written about Gacek, including The Washington Post,[6] The Independent,[7] The Guardian,[8] Euronews,[9] Business Insider,[10] The Telegraph,[11] India Times,[12] and The New Zealand Herald.[13]

On March 20, 2023, an attempted kidnapping of Gacek took place. The attempt failed as Gacek hid under a nearby car. The kidnapper fled.[14]

In April 2023, Gacek was admitted to the Polish Institute for Animal Care (Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zwierzętami w Polsce – TOZ) and was temporarily unavailable. Gacek was forced to be treated at TOZ due to his obesity. His weight reached 10 kg, far above the weight of a normal cat, which ranges from 5–6 kg.[15] The cat also suffered from several other health problems, such as gingivitis and arthritis. He was monitored by a professional veterinarian for slimming therapy[16] and couldn't be found roaming freely on Kaszubska Street.[17]

Due to Gacek's fame, the city government of Szczecin proposed a project to commemorate him through a monument and information boards, as well as the neutering of 500 stray cats in early 2024. The cost of this project is estimated at 180,000 Złoty.[18]

In September 2023, it was announced that Gacek found a new permanent home and lost weight after following a diet.[19] Gacek also initiated an online fundraising campaign named "Gacek buys food for the homeless" to raise funds to feed homeless animals. As of November 2023, over PLN 9,500 of the PLN 9,000 target sum has been raised.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kot Gacek · Kaszubska 16, 71–899 Szczecin, Poland". Kot Gacek · Kaszubska 16, 71–899 Szczecin, Poland. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  2. ↑ Igor Szulim (4 April 2023). "Kot Gacek zniknął z ulicy Kaszubskiej. Wiemy, gdzie przebywa futrzak". national-geographic.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Tilles, Daniel (2023-02-09). "Cat becomes Polish city's top-rated tourist attraction". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  4. 1 2 "Fat black and white cat becomes Polish city's hottest tourist attraction". The Independent. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  5. ↑ "'Kim Kardashian of the cat world': Gacek draws tourists to Polish city". Reuters. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  6. ↑ Free, Cathy (2023-03-11). "This Polish city's top tourist attraction? A stray cat". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  7. ↑ "Fat street cat who was Polish city's highest rated tourist attraction finds a new home". independent.co.uk. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Arwa Mahdawi (22 February 2023). "Would you travel thousands of miles to see an obese cat? How about an avian love triangle?". theguardian.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Rebecca Ann Hughes (15 November 2023). "This Polish city's top-rated tourist attraction was a street cat until he was rehomed". euronews.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  10. ↑ Stephanie Stacy (19 February 2023). "A fat cat has become the top-rated tourist attraction in a Polish city with a perfect 5-star average on Google Maps". businessinsider.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  11. ↑ James Crisp (13 March 2023). "Gacek the stray cat becomes number one tourist attraction in Polish city". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  12. ↑ Rongmei, Precious. "Meet Gacek the cat, who's a five-star rated tourist attraction in Poland". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  13. ↑ "Obese 'kitty king' becomes top-rated attraction in Polish city". NZ Herald. 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  14. ↑ Zając, Julia (2023-03-31). "Próbowała ukraść słynnego szczecińskiego kota Gacka! Na szczęście jej się nie udało". Głos Szczeciński (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  15. ↑ "Gacek na ulicę już nie wróci. Słynny kot "emeryturę" spędzi w domu. Ma specjalne zadanie". TOK FM (in Polish). 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  16. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  17. ↑ "Gacek już nie wróci na ul. Kaszubską". 24kurier.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  18. ↑ "CE/0006 – "Wiecznie żywy kot Gacek- rzeźba kota w rozmiarze rzeczywistym wraz z tablicą informacyjno-edukacyjną oraz kastracja 500 kotów wolnożyjących"". Budżet Obywatelski Szczecin 2024 (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  19. ↑ Jagoda Różycka (14 November 2023). "Kot Gacek, najwyżej oceniana atrakcja Szczecina, znalazł nowy dom. Jest nie do poznania". gazeta.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  20. ↑ Laura Montoya (17 November 2023). "Street cat who became Szczecin's top-rated tourist attraction wows with stunning new look after losing weight and finding new home". thefirstnews.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
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