A cat that seriously resembles an iconic Disney character has been melting hearts online this week.
Wally the Ragdoll cat has become an internet favorite after his photo was shared on Reddit’s r/aww caption on Saturday by owner Brittany Birk.
Wally is now 4 years old and lives with his owners in St. Louis, Missouri. Aptly named, the adorable cat markings mean he looks just like the title character from the 2008 Disney Pixar film. WALL E.
Disney/Pixar
With over 54,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments, the adorable likeness has animal lovers thrilled.
Birk said Newsweek“It wasn’t named after WALL·E, we just liked the name. We made jokes about it as a family over the years, referencing the movie.”
Not the only feline to share a famous lookalike, earlier this year heads turned online when an overweight orange cat was dubbed the real-life version of Garfield.
Wally’s markings are fairly typical of his breed. Purina says the Ragdoll cat is a large, impressive breed with a luxurious coat. Their silky, dense coat comes in different color patterns, but often features a distinctive white and cream coat with tints of darker brown, usually around the eyes and ears.
The Ragdoll is an artificial cat breed, created in the 1960s by Ann Baker using an Angora cat with white gloves and boots and a solid black male cat.
Now a breed highly regarded around the world, Baker’s goal was to produce a glamorous cat with a laid back nature – the perfect pet. Although Ragdolls are curious, they are renowned for their relaxed, affectionate and languid natures and are often the happiest curled up on the couch.
Birk had the idea to share Wally’s photo online when she realized how much the resemblance was between her feline friend and the adorable robot WALL·E.
“I played Disney’s new video game Dream Light Valley and I realized how much Wally really looked like WALL·E,” she explained, “I love that he grabbed attention. He’s a beautiful, sweet cat and we’re glad people can share that with us.”
Online, viewers of the Reddit post raved about the likeness. One Redditor said, “Wally has some meme potential,” while another wrote, “I think my heart just melted.”
“This cat deserves everything he could want and more,” another Wally fan said, while another Redditor commented, “A perfect comparison! How cute!”
“I’m supposed to study, but I can’t stop staring at your cat! It’s melting,” one cat lover wrote.