A US kitten born with no teeth and extra toes has become an internet sensation, with her owner saying people worldwide are now becoming obsessed with his cat.
One-year-old Bub was born different from the rest of her litter, with an extra toe on all four feet, short stubby legs and a mouth devoid of teeth.
Initially given no chance of survival, the "dwarf" kitten was adopted by sound engineer Mike Bridavsky, and a vet later gave his new pet a clean bill of health.
Bub's short legs and long body mean it can't jump like other cats and misses out on their ability to land softly from great heights.
"With my other cats, when they're ready to go I just toss them and they're fine, but with Bub I have to be pretty careful," Mr Bridavsky told ninemsn.
"I don't think she's in pain, but she might be bummed out that she can't play as much as she wants to."
Bub became popular with locals around Mr Bridavsky's Bloomington, Indiana home, but its star began to shine when it got its own Tumblr page.
One particular photo struck a chord with visitors to the blogging site and was shared more than 40,000 times.
Soon pictures of Bub were being seen across the globe, featuring on the front page of Reddit and getting a run on viral giant Buzzfeed.
People flocked to its dedicated website and Facebook page.
Do you have an amazing animal story that should be published on ninemsn? Send an email to
news.feedback@ninemsn.com.au
"She was slowly getting more popular. Every couple of weeks I'm like 'Oh my God this is crazy!'" Mr Bridavsky said.
"People were getting obsessed with my cat. They were emotionally invested in my animal."
Mr Bridavsky had already started making Bub T-shirts for local fans, but when the kitten's popularity exploded, the merchandising stepped up a notch.
While he won't be giving up his day job and living off the proceeds of Bub's newfound fame, Mr Bridavsky says the T-shirts and tote bags he is producing are bringing in some money.
"The intention was never to get rich off Bub, but it's making some money and I'm not going to lie, owning a recording studio is not a financially viable business. It's a labour of love."
Register
Events
Popular
More
Post #1
Friendly x 33
Dumb x 5
Funny x 4
Informative x 1
x 3
x 1
x 1
Winner x 6