14 DAY TRIAL // Tard, aka Grumpy Cat, is the most famous cat on the Internet right now. She can also be found these days at the Mashable tent at SXSW 2013, where her owners have flown her on Friskies promo business.
For several hours a day, fans of the Grumpy can have their picture taken with her. She even has her own agent to handle press, ABC News writes, but also a chauffeured limousine and all the other celebrity perks you’d expect of an international star.
As for those saying Tard / Grumpy is being exploited and this is just not cool, man, not cool, her owners say they’re actually using the publicity to do some good, like raise money for animal shelters.
“A lot of people think we are exploiting the cat, we limit her exposure greatly. She is only here for an hour at a time. Ninety-nine percent of the time she is just a regular cat. She is not front of the camera at all times, she is a normal house cat and we love her,” they tell ABC News.
That’s a relief.