Alice Joan
Calling all cat lovers – if you don’t know about Belarus the cat, get to know!
Belarus, who lives in San Francisco, has won the hearts of thousands of people on Instagram.
The social media star even found his forever home via the photo-sharing app.
Rachel, who is now his owner, followed a range of rescue Instagram accounts when she came across this cute furry friend with a unique set of eyes.
‘I’d been following rescue accounts for about a year, with the hope of eventually adopting a cat or senior dog,’
Rachel told the Metro.
‘When I saw Belarus’s face (and eyes) I immediately fell in love. I moved meetings around to be able to visit the shelter (San Francisco Animal Care and Control) that day.’
Rachel was not the only person wanting to give the cat a home, as the shelter reached over 500,000 people on Facebook with many of them wanting to fly the kitten cross-country to give him the right home.
Rachel was the lucky person chosen as his forever person. She now documents the life of the cat via Instagram, with the account now amassing almost 400,000 followers.
‘He’s just the absolute sweetest,’ Rachel says ‘He’s incredibly gentle and careful while walking around the house. When I adopted him, he was around a year old and was still pretty playful and kitten-like. As he’s gotten older, he’s become a huge cuddler. He’s extremely curious and interactive. He always wants to know what’s going on around the house.’
The cause of the cat’s googly looking eyes is a vision condition called strabismus, which stops the eyes from aligning at the same time. AKA – being cross-eyed.
‘He’s pretty hilarious in his normal life, which is how we get so many great photos and videos to post. He hates the smell of tea or coffee and will try to “bury” any mug containing it.’
Rachel is forever grateful for all the love that people show Belarus online.
‘It’s been really wonderful to see the comments we get on how our account has impacted others.I think that’s the most special part. For example, people who have used Belarus’s page to cheer up sick or dying family members.
She tells Bored Panda
