The internet has lost one of its most viral — and musical — feline stars: Cala, the cat whose unique song-like meows became a viral hit, has sadly passed away.
Read more about this beloved cat and see the heartwarming tributes to her:
Viral video
Cala first went viral in April, when her owner Elizabeth Toth shared a video of her unique and lyrical style of meowing.
“She loves to meow like this during playtime,” Elizabeth wrote on TikTok.
Cala’s meows are distinctly melodic, as if she’s singing a song. Commenters pointed out that it sounds like she’s singing “I go meow, I go meow,” and a viral hit was born.
“Get her a record deal. Stat,” Elizabeth wrote.
“I Go Meow” song
It turns out, Cala got something close to a record deal: South African musician The Kiffness decided to add some music to the viral video and turn it into a fully-produced single.
The musician also transcribed the cat’s meowing into some surprisingly existential lyrics:
I go meow, I go meow,
I go meow, I go meow,
I don’t know who I am,
Look away, away…
The song has been viewed 2.6 million times on YouTube and has over 1.3 million streams on Spotify, making the cat an unlikely star and giving her an audience many singers only dream of.
Rest in peace, Cala
But like so many great musical artists, Cala was taken from us far too early. Yesterday, Elizabeth announced that Cala had passed away.
The owner wrote that she was “devastated” by the news: she discovered that her adopted cat was actually older than she thought, so her death came as a shock.
“I adopted Cala thinking she was young with a full life ahead of her,” Elizabeth wrote on TikTok. “However, Cala had gotten sick and was not recovering.”
“Although we were optimistic and cala fought very hard, she was not improving… Cala ultimately passed away in my arms due to old age,” she wrote. “She was surrounded by humans who love her.”
She also thanked her nearly million followers for their support, saying that they will “allow her to live on forever, to never be forgotten how special she is.”
“Thank you all for loving Cala as much as I do.”
Elizabeth will reportedly continue to post videos of Cala on her page, to keep her memory alive.
Final musical tribute
If Elizabeth’s tribute to her late cat didn’t put a tear in your eye, Cala’s musical collaborator The Kiffness also shared his own tribute.
He shared a new version of the “I Go Meow” song, this time with Cala singing in heaven with wings and a halo.
The lyrics have also been updated, as if to say that Cala was no longer wrestling with her existential crisis and was truly at peace:
I go now, I go now,
I go now, go now,
I now know who I am,
Drift away, away…
“A bright light has gone out, but Cala’s sweet little voice will go meow for eternity!”
In the caption, The Kiffness writes that he was also surprised by Cala’s death, believing she was just a kitten. He sent love to Elizabeth and thanked her for giving Cala a great life during their time together.
“Please join me in thanking Elizabeth for adopting Cala – for taking her off the streets, giving her a home & for sharing Cala’s unique antics with the world,” the musician wrote.
“She brightened all of our lives, and she will continue to do so even though she is no longer with us.”
Rest in peace, Cala. Thank you for brightening our lives with your beautiful, musical meowing — you will be missed by so many 🥺❤️
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