Richest pet influencer: There are creators on the Internet who put hours of work into earning more than an average educated employee in a corporate setup. While they still have to shoot and edit content, pets? They just exist. Nala Cat, is one such example who is worth nearly $100 million today and has 4.4 million followers on Instagram.
A Guinness World Record holder, Nala is a Siamese-tabby rescue and was adopted in 2010 by Pookie & Smudge Methachittiphan. Viral for her blue eyes, she beat several human influencers and won the TikToker of the Year and is the most popular cat on Instagram.
Who is Nala Cat: 4.4 mn followers and counting
The most popular feline on the Internet, Nala, holds the Guinness World Record of being the most followed cat on social media in 2019. She also ranks second after Gunther VI, the richest dog in the world, who has a Netflix documentary of his own. The German Shepherd is reportedly worth $500 million and has real estate, stocks, and business entities of his own.
As per Cats.com, Nala charges nearly Rs 7-12 lakh for a sponsored post on Instagram, and endorses several brands like Bissell, Friskies, Paw CBD, Hulu, Litter Robot, and more. Furthermore, Nala has pawed her way into a sprawling ‘businesswoman’ with custom merchandise, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, phone cases, and DIY cardboard cat houses. Over the years, Nala Cat also had her own cat food brand, ‘Love Nala’.
The premium cat food is priced at $30 and more. The canned salmon treats in India are available for nearly Rs 7000. Her merchandise, like plush toys, retails for $35, while mugs sell for $19. In 2020, Penguin published an e-book, ‘Living Your Best Life According to Nala Cat’, too!
From paws to cause: How Nala became a pet celebrity
Nala Cat has a literal rags-to-riches story after Varisiri “Pookie” Methachittiphan adopted a 5-month old kitten during her MBA. When she turned 2, Varisiri shared her with the world through Instagram and only hoped for 500 followers from Thailand. But as time would tell, Nala’s popularity grew, and she set up a Shopify account after gaining 75,000 followers.
Rolling about, sleeping in cardboard boxes, and playing with plastic and toilet roll, Nala built her million-dollar social media empire. She also shares her throne with other cat celebrities, White Coffee and Luna Rose, the other Methachittiphan pets.
Using the money she gains, Nala’s paw-rents have donated several meals to Kitten Rescue LA and support The Pet Education Project, Fear Free Pets, Waggle, and The Paw Project.