That’s what happened in the Polish city of Szczecin – the largest port city and also the city with the most interesting history in this Central European country.
Each Polish city has its own beauty, not only ancient and magnificent buildings, unique architectural works but also historical and cultural values. So is Szczecin, a city with a medieval history that always attracts the attention of tourists because of its sights and interesting history. However, in recent times, it has become even more famous thanks to… a feral cat!
Gacek was given the nickname “King of Kaszubska Street”.
Usually, when coming to Szczecin, tourists will visit the Pomeranian Duke castle and Kasprowicza park. Those are two of the most famous destinations in the city. But now, neither of these landmarks can surpass Gacek, an obese feral cat that roams Kaszubska Street in the port city of Szczecin.
According to local media, this overweight, slightly “oversized” black-and-white cat has become the reason for “the top tourist attraction in the Polish city”. It received over 2,500 reviews and scored a near perfect 4.9/5 on Google.
Unexpectedly famous
According to local people, Gacek was originally just a feral cat, without a family, without a caregiver. It lives in hiding on Kaszubska Street.
In January 2020, local news agency wSzczecinie posted a video of Gacek and called it “King of Kaszubska Street”. The video then went viral more than 4.5 million times on the social networking platforms Facebook and YouTube. Since then, Gacek has been a popular figure, receiving the love and attention of the locals. Many people want to go to the place to see the thin, small cat and feed it.
But after a period of overfeeding, the cat became overweight. But it is the chubby body that makes Gacek more and more popular.
The pain of being famous
According to Insider, Gacek received nearly 2,600 reviews on Google, but it was not clear why it was removed. A new post has attracted nearly 500 reviews and averaged 5-star ratings in the first 48 hours.
Many people who leave reviews on Google say they have traveled from all over Poland and even from other countries to see Gacek, in the flesh.
After Gacek became famous on social networks, many tourists from other countries, despite the long distance, came to the place to meet this special cat. According to the Mirror, a tourist claims he made the trip from Oslo (Norway) – over a journey of nearly 1,000 km – to meet the cat.
“As expected, the animal didn’t pay any attention to me, which still makes my trip interesting,” wrote a visitor from Oslo (Norway). “If I had the choice to have dinner with anyone in the world, I would fly there immediately to feed the cat!”
“Have a good evening or even an afternoon,” said one enthusiastic supporter.
Another wrote: “A beautiful and wonderful kitty, Gacek delighted us with his presence.”
In fact, Gacek was a feral cat, but after becoming famous, it was made a temporary box by the people and had a person who specialized in taking care of eating, bathing, and cleaning.
Local news agency Gazeta.pl reports that an animal rights organization in the city has urged people to stop feeding Gacek, as the care and overtreatment from fans has caused the cat to become popular. overweight and obese.
Not only that, because of his popularity, Gacek is often bothered even when he is resting. “I’m happy to pose for pictures, but please don’t pet me while I’m napping,” reads a note from Gacek’s home.
