Woman Goes Viral Ordering Her Kitten a Tiny Burger and Fries
Source: © Shutterstock
A pet owner decided to buy her rescue cat a burger and fries in a move that sent the internet into a frenzy. Her creativity and far from a novel approach to her cat’s cravings were received positively on social media – for the most part – with many people finding the gesture cute, kind, and funny. The story was made even more intriguing by her cat’s sad backstory. In this post, we will delve into this story that has social media abuzz.
Duman’s Sad Past
Veterinarians do not recommend feeding your cat people food, especially not fast foods like fries and burgers. However, few people can stay mad at Elif for feeding her cat a mini burger and fries when they learn about his sad past. In an interview with Newsweek, Elif – the cat’s owner – explained that she rescued her cat, Duman, from the roadside. Elif is 24 years old, lives in Istanbul, Turkey, and works as a sales specialist. She says that Duman was in a terrible condition when she found him and that “He still has one bad eye that remained from the infections he had.” Elif rescued the cat after running into him one night, brought him home, and named him Duman, which translates to ‘smoke’ in Turkish. According to Elif, the name is derived from a band she saw the night she rescued Duman. It took a while, but Duman settled into his new home, became familiar and comfortable with his new caretaker, and made a notable recovery from his illnesses and injuries. Elif says that Duman is currently five years old and alternates between grumpy and playful as the moods strike him. He is also “really into food.”
@tabukpaws ويقولون انهم ما يحسون 💔 #تبوك #قطط #تبنى_لاتشتري
Duman’s Love for Meat and Bread
Early on, Elif noticed that Duman was very fond of bread and meat. She suspects that he picked up this dietary preference from living in the streets as a stray cat. It is this obsession with human food that saw Duman and his human companion turn into an overnight social media sensation. Elif explains that Duman once stole her burger from her plate when she was not looking, which is when she discovered his love for the non-feline meal. Although Duman’s diet primarily consists of cat food, Elif says that she feeds him meat and bread from time to time because he likes it. She explains, however, that these foods are only given as treats because Elif understands that “… the sodium is high on those meats and could affect his health.” This is a very important point because cats can develop complications if sustained solely on fast foods.
The Incident That Went Viral
On a regular night last year, Elif decided to order food from a Ercan Burger, a local takeout. She noticed Duman giving her a look she was all too familiar with and, on a whim, decided to add a note to her order. The note requested that the restaurant include “a mini burger for my cat” in her order. According to Elif, she added the note to her order just for fun and did not even think it would work. That was until her order arrived, complete with fries and a super mini burger for her cat. Duman was happy about the treat, and Elif could not help but take a picture of the happy cat munching away at her meal. She also took a picture of her original order and posted it alongside the delivery. Elif’s post went viral in Turkey, where she lives, and got over 130,000 likes and 3,000 retweets. This was only the beginning. Earlier this month Memes I Wish I Could Tag My Cat In shared Elif’s post, bringing it to the attention of an English-speaking audience.
Social Media Response
Once the tweet was before English-speaking cat owners, it gained even more attention, rising to over 440,000 likes and 64,000 retweets. Many cat owners were quick to comment, with most of the feedback being positive. A user called Mercutiax commented that his cat loved Arby’s so much they ultimately “…just started ordering him his own Arby’s jr.” Another person going by Infindox said that the picture reminded them of their previous cat who loved ham and deli meats. They said that the cat tried to steal a bite from every sub they ordered. Takiro_Ryo found it impressive that the takeout stocked tiny burger buns, and Asli Tumerkan found the situation ‘SO cute.’ As expected, some of the comments were negative as some cat owners expressed concerns over cats eating non-feline foods. GeeManInKC explained that pets cannot process human food and will eventually “…develop pancreatitis” and “need surgery to correct what’s gone wrong.” For the most part, however, the comments were positive. Elif said that she had fun reading them and loved seeing pictures of other cats enjoying food like Duman.
Negative Comments
Of the negative comments, Elif said she found them “a bit surprising”. She reiterated how some cat owners were angry at her for ‘hurting her cat’ by feeding him burgers. She then explained that this was a once-in-a-while treat for Duman and not something she did every day. In Elif’s words, “It was supposed to be fun and cheerful people up, but I guess there will always be those people who spread negativity.” Overall, she is glad that Duman liked the treat and that it meant she could enjoy her own meal in peace.
Final Thoughts
When a Woman Goes Viral Ordering Her Kitten a Tiny Burger and Fries, it is only natural to want to know the backstory. Now you know that Elif was only treating Duman to a meal she had noticed he liked, and that was not what Duman ate every day. The experience was positive for both cat and cat owner, and many people on social media could actually relate to Elif and Duman’s story. Overall, a win-win.
image sources
- Home,Made,Hamburger,Cheese,Set,And,French,Fries: © Shutterstock