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Longcat, the internet meme icon, dies aged 18

We'll miss your stretchy ways, Longcat.

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Bonnie Burton
Journalist Bonnie Burton writes about movies, TV shows, comics, science and robots. She is the author of the books Live or Die: Survival Hacks, Wizarding World: Movie Magic Amazing Artifacts, The Star Wars Craft Book, Girls Against Girls, Draw Star Wars, Planets in Peril and more! E-mail Bonnie.
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Longcat was made popular as a meme first on 4chan.

 KnowYourMeme

Longcat is just one one a list of internet cat celebs that includes Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub, but sadly, Longcat reportedly passed away Sunday at the age of 18.

Longcat was best known for his "epic length, spawning Photoshops, and even an entire mythology around his magnitude," according to Know Your Meme. Longcat reportedly stood at 25.5 inches (65 centimeters) from head to toe.

Longcat first popped up online as a meme around 2005 or 2006. Longcat was even added to the Urban Dictionary in 2006, attributing the name to 4chan's random board, /b/.  While Longcat's real name is Shiroi (which means white), Japanese fans gave the cat the initial nickname of Nobiiru or Nobiko, which means "stretch."

It wasn't long before the usually stretchy cat was Photoshopped into business charts, historical scenes, outer space and other unlikely places. 

longcat3

Longcat battles Tacgnol for ultimate control over the meme universe.

 KnowYourMeme

Longcat even had a nemesis -- an evil black cat known as Tacgnol, and they had been battling for the control of the universe for years, apparently. 

The citizens of 4chan even gave the cats their own mythology, complete with an epic battle between Longcat and Tacgnol that will end in an apocalyptic era known as Catnarok.

After hearing about Longcat's passing, fans paid their respects to the stretchy kitty online.