Rest In Peace, Thurston Waffles

The infamous meme cat Thurston Waffles has passed away, as announced on September 7th. The internet as we know it won’t be the same. His owners Matt and Shelli shared the devastating news on Twitter, where fans were shocked and saddened by his death, but also reminded one another of the legacy he’s left behind and how much this weird little cat meant to all of us.

If you’re not sure who I’m talking about, Thurston Waffles was a meme cat we all can recognize, though not all of us know him by name. He did have hundreds of thousands of social media followers who knew him well, but the rest of us know him best for the edits of his dramatic yelling, one of which involves his likeness edited onto the MGM logo, where he roared his way into online fame.

Thurston has been an influencer of sorts ever since he became a meme. Still, he was best known for his iconic scream, which involved a huge mouth and a very vocal personality. Many memes were made about him, from his yelling to edits of his odd behavior around the house (and outside, on a leash). Thurston Waffles, also known as simply "Thurston the Cat," has certainly been a memorable member of the online community, with his parents actively posting entertaining content revolving around him on YouTube, Instagram and more.

Thurston passed away peacefully at the approximate age of twelve. One of his owners took to social media to explain what happened, describing how Thurston had been his usual self up until just a few days ago, when what seemed to be a sinus infection turned out to be something much more sinister, and Thurston was diagnosed with nasal cancer. Only two days after the diagnosis, Thurston passed away peacefully in front of his favorite lamp with his two best friends. So for everyone worried about Thurston in his last moments, hopefully this will come as a reassurance that he was a happy cat all the way until the end.

Thurston’s owner also thanked the community for their support, saying “Your bond with him was real. Your bond with us is real. It’s always been palpable through the kind words you gave us and the jokes we made with our favorite little guy.” The note announcing Thurston’s passing ends with a final note that the owners are hoping we can all find ways to laugh at his videos again in the future. And we certainly will, because online, Thurston’s memory is still very much alive, screaming at us for reasons we can’t comprehend in lots of different memes, and we never get tired of seeing him.