Shiro, the world’s most relaxed cat, has sadly died at the age of 18.
Shiro became social media famous for his ability to fall asleep at any time, anywhere.
Cats are known to be pretty lazy animals, but Shiro took the crown – with his owner even being able to balance things on his head while he was chilling or sleeping.
If I did that to one of my cats, they’d have definitely had something to say about it, which proves how zen Shiro really was.
An Instagram fan page for Shiro confirmed the popular cat’s passing, stating he passed away on March 2, 2020.
Shironeko, Shiro’s full name, translates to ‘white cat’ in Japanese. He was a Turkish Van and lived alongside his cat siblings in Japan, some of whom are equally as sleepy and chilled.
Shiro and his siblings boast an impressive following across social media, with a number of fan pages dedicated to the cat as well as his official account.
People took to social media to express their condolences.
One person wrote, ‘Goodbye my beloved Shiro. You’re always in my heart’, while another wrote ‘R.I.P you had a meaningful life on earth, be [an] angel in Heaven’.
Shiro was so popular he even had his own calendar full of pictures of himself and his fellow sleepy friends.
It seems we just can’t catch a break, as another adorable, internet-famous animal passed away this week – Marnie the dog.
Marnie became famous for her cute face and her tongue constantly sticking out – something that won hearts all over the world.
Like Shiro, Marnie lived to 18 years old. The elderly Shih Tzu died peacefully in her home on the afternoon of Thursday, March 7. She is said to have ‘enjoyed her chicken until the very end’.
Marnie’s devoted owner Shirley, who adopted Marnie when she was already 11 years old, paid tribute to the sweet girl via social media, expressing her gratitude at having had Marnie as part of her life for so long.
Shirley wrote:
It is with much grief I share the news that Marnie passed away painlessly & peacefully in my home on Thursday afternoon at the age of 18.
Her comfort had been notably declining over the past few days with little hope for improvement and she let me know she had had enough. She enjoyed her chicken until the very end.
Thank you for joining me on an unexpected journey with the ultimate love of my life. All I can feel right now is loss but beneath that I have so much gratitude.
RIP to both Shiro and Marnie. Thanks to the both of you for bringing smiles to everyone’s faces.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Niamh Shackleton is a pint sized person and journalist at UNILAD. After studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford, she did a year at Caters News Agency as a features writer in Birmingham before deciding that Manchester is (arguably) one of the best places in the world, and therefore moved back up north. She’s also UNILAD’s unofficial crazy animal lady.