The internet has been left heartbroken by the death of viral kitten Tater Tot who has charmed the world with images of her legs in splints.
Tater Tot captivated social media users around the world with his messy hair and mismatched casts on his front legs – which his adoptive mother called his “bodankabonks”.
He was found by Ash Houghton’s border collie outside his home in Utah when he was just over a day old.
But the 34-year-old has since announced the sad news that the kitten died “suddenly” after contracting an illness.
The internet has been heartbroken over the death of viral kitten Tater Tot who charmed the world with images of her legs in splints
He was found by Ash Houghton’s border collie outside his Utah home when he was just over a day old – but the 34-year-old has since shared the sad news that the kitten had died “suddenly” after contracting an illness.
Yesterday Ash took to Instagram, where Tater Tot has over 22,400 followers, to share the tragic update.
“Today our little potato died suddenly in my hands,” wrote Ash, who runs the rescue charity Kitty Crusaid.
“His energy has slowly waned over the past week, and with the suddenness of his passing today, I really think he had an enlarged heart and couldn’t keep up.
“One moment he was walking and the next day he was gone.
“This tiny little potato had such a profound impact on my heart, and I’m so incredibly happy to be able to share it with the world.
“Which started when I shared photos of the wacky new foster family that I had turned into an entire community of kindness, humor and compassion.
“I’m amazed at the scope of Tater Tot’s story, and I can’t tell you how amazing it has been to see how he impacted the world.”
The ginger kitten must have spent weeks with his little legs in mismatched leg casts – called bodankabonks – due to the way he walked with them.
Ash shared the ginger kitten’s story on Instagram (@ourfosterbabes) after first welcoming him
The ginger kitten must have spent weeks with his little legs in mismatched leg casts – called bodankabonks – due to the way he walked with them.
And his death left fans heartbroken as one wrote: ‘Not me and my husband both crying here’
And his death left fans heartbroken like owrote: ‘Not me and my husband who are both crying here…
‘Thank you for sharing Tater Tot with us. Our thoughts are with you and all who feel his loss.
Another added: “NOOOOOO NOT TATER EARLY PLEASE TAKE ME INSTEAD.”
And a third said: ‘Nooo, I’m so upset. Poor little tater. He had such a great impact in such a short time on this earth.
Ash had shared Tater Tot’s story on Instagram (@ourfosterbabes) after first welcoming him.
“We saw that all four of his legs were malformed,” she previously said. WKRG. “His front legs were stuck in a 90 degree turn and his back legs were totally buckled.”
He was also born with a cleft palate and had to be tube fed.
Tater Tot’s story has attracted thousands of cat lovers around the world who have created fan art and donated to her rescue organization, Kitty CrusHELP.
“We saw that all four of his legs were malformed,” she previously told WKRG. “His front legs were stuck at 90 degrees and his back legs were totally buckled”
Tater Tot’s story attracted thousands of cat lovers around the world who created fan art and donated to her rescue organization, Kitty CrusHELP
The animal lover previously said: ‘The reaction online has been overwhelmingly positive! He seems to be a small source of inspiration for so many people.
“People have shared their struggles and expressed how much Tater Tot has helped them through the difficult times they are currently facing.
“We’ve had so many incredibly talented artists draw it and many have donated their artwork to be used in Tater Tot merch, and all proceeds from that merchandise go directly to the rescue. .
“I could tell the nuts were driving him crazy, but he was still a sweet, spunky little guy through the process.”
