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Who was Goop? 3-legged cat's death leaves 'Goop-shaped hole' in hearts of fans

'Goop helped me cope with losing my little man and even though he isn't mine, it still hurts like he was,' said a user

Goop the cat, which caught attention on social media after its owner shared their adventures on Twitter, died on Thursday, June 17. And Twitter was flooded with condolences from fans of the feline after the news broke out.

Internet pets made famous by their owners have taken up a special place in the hearts of social media users across the world. In 2017, the internet sensation Tardar Sauce, aka Grumpy Cat, died of a urinary tract infection. More gruesomely, internet sleuths last November gathered to hunt down an animal murderer who posted pictures of chopped-up cat limbs. However, social media is also a place to show pet love. And Goop got a lot of it as #Goop was trending all through Thursday.

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Who was Goop?

Goop was a three-legged black cat belonging to Grace Gogarty, an artist from Missouri. Going by the username of Little Tunny, she makes comics about her pets. She also owns a dog called Soup, who seems to be very close to Goop. "Soup is looking everywhere for Goop. It’s breaking my heart. Please if you have a pet, will you give them some pets and love from me? The fact we can hurt so much just shows how wonderful and special they are. They deserve so much," the Twitter user said sharing pictures of the cat and dog.

Goop had another pet sibling called Huey, a dog, who died a year ago. "They’re grazing together again, somewhere. It was so hard losing Huey and I know it was a year ago but it feels like it happened today too," Gogarty writes on Twitter. The cat loved having his teeth brushed, and being chased around with Gogarty doing a 'Dracula scary man laugh'.

Goop was almost eight years old. "Chronic constipation and vomiting starved him for a week," says Gogarty. She added that the cat was hospitalized and in serious condition. On June 7, Gogarty tweeted: "Goop is at the hospital getting x-rays, I think he may have swallowed something :’( I’m so worried right now and I don’t want to cry in front of the vet but I already am tearing up ahhhghh".

'Goop helped me cope with my loss'

Fans took to Twitter to mourn Goop's loss. "Thank you for sharing Goop with all of us strangers on the internet... you've given him a life and memory far beyond the one you had with him, what a gift. So sorry for your loss," said a fan. "No one F*****G talk to me littletunny’s cat Goop passed and I’m so sad for a cat I’ve never met," said another. "The only Goop that matters is trending. Good. Everyone should know about Goop," a third quipped, referring to actor Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop product line. "When I saw Goop trending I thought it was another weird Gwyneth Paltrow product but it was about a beautiful cat R.I.P. Goop your owner is an amazing human that gave you an amazing and comfortable life," said another.

"One of the hardest things for me regarding the loss of a cat I've never met, is the fact that I first saw Goop's videos when I lost my little tripod tux kitten to pneumonia. Goop helped me cope with losing my little man and even though he isn't mine, it still hurts like he was," another tweet read.

'A Goop-shaped hole in our hearts'

Goop was trending on Twitter as pet lovers poured in with fanart and shared pictures of their own pets sending love to the beloved feline. "It's not much but I thought I would do you a little doodle. Your post always bring me joy, particularly 9nes with Goop and Soup. I wanna give back a bit," said a fan sharing their art.

"@/itslittletunny has been one of my favorite creators on Instagram for a long time and I’ve come to love them and their animals a lot. Tonight’s news is a lot; I got some of my feelings out through sketching. Rest In Peace, Goop," said another. "There’s a goop shaped hole in our hearts, but I hope he’s living it up there as much as he did here. The hugest and biggest condolences to tunny right now," a fan said.