Animals have long ceased to be just pets and have turned into full-fledged media characters. Cats, dogs, and even foxes gather millions of followers, star in advertising campaigns, release their own merch, and become heroes of books and cartoons. Some became famous thanks to their funny appearance, others — through unusual habits or videos that instantly spread across the network. The WAVE RBC.UA editorial team has gathered the most recognizable animal bloggers from all corners of the world — from fluffy cats to dogs with their own fan clubs.
Cats that conquered social networks
Nala is one of the most famous cats on Instagram. Her story began in a California shelter, from where the animal was taken by her future owner Varisiri Methachitipan. Big blue eyes and distinct facial expressions quickly made the cat popular online. In 2020, Nala entered the Guinness World Records as the cat with the most followers on Instagram — at that time, her page had over 4.3 million followers. Her popularity later turned into a full-fledged business: pet food and products under Nala's name appeared on the market. Another record-holder is Maru, a Scottish Fold cat from Japan who became one of the first animal bloggers with an international audience on YouTube. His main feature is his love for cardboard boxes: videos of the cat trying to fit into small containers, jumping into them, or simply relaxing have gathered a huge audience. In 2016, Maru entered the Guinness World Records as the animal with the most views on YouTube — over 325 million. Notably, his popularity rested on simple and funny moments from cat life, without complex plots or editing.
Dogs that went beyond Instagram
Doug is an American pug often called the king of pop culture. His recognizable image regularly appears in parodies of celebrities, popular movies, and music videos: on social networks, the dog poses in costumes, recreates famous images, and even appears on red carpets. Doug's popularity has long gone beyond Instagram — he starred in a Super Bowl commercial, appeared in music videos by Katy Perry and Fall Out Boy, and voiced the character Monchi in the Netflix animated film The Mitchells vs. the Machines. Bunny, a Shepadoodle, became famous through an unusual way of communicating with her owner Alexis Devine: a board with buttons is placed in front of the animal, each reproducing a specific word — "walk," "food," "play," or "love." By pressing the buttons with her paw, Bunny seems to form a message and answer her owner's questions; such experiments went viral on TikTok and attracted the attention of researchers studying human-animal communication. Tuna is a Chihuahua-dachshund mix who became famous for her characteristic overbite, wrinkled muzzle, and unusual appearance. Her photos quickly spread across the internet, and her owner created a separate page to share her pet's life. Eventually, Tuna became a full-fledged brand: merchandise with her image went on sale, and the blogger participated in charitable initiatives.
The fox that changed the rules of the game
Internet stars include not only cats and dogs. Juniper is a red fox who gained popularity due to her unusual appearance and videos from everyday life. Her page gathered millions of followers, and the animal itself became recognizable far beyond the fox-lover community. Juniper grew up in captivity and cannot return to the wild; her story later became the basis for creating a licensed non-profit sanctuary that cares for foxes and other animals unable to live in their natural environment. The blogger's page tells not only about her daily life but also about rescue and animal care work.
A phenomenon that turned into an industry
The stories of Nala, Doug, Maru, Juniper, Bunny, and Tuna demonstrate a steady trend: a feature of appearance or behavior turns into a recognizable image, and the image into a media and commercial asset. Funny facial expressions, a love for boxes, or the ability to "talk" using buttons become an entry point for millions of viewers, followed by advertising, merch, cinema, and charity. Thus, animal bloggers have transformed from entertainment content into a full-fledged industry where every new record paves the way for the next viral hero.
