Love Jimothy the raccoon? Meet Meemers, the adorable cat with short spine syndrome
For fans of the perfectly imperfect Jimothy the raccoon, there’s now another furry friend over which we can all obsess.
Readers, meet Meemers: The adorable rescue cat who has short spine syndrome, the same condition that Jimothy is also believed to have. The 2 1/2-year-old feline, who’s based in Bloomington, Illinois, recently went viral for her barely-there neck and resemblance to Seattle’s beloved raccoon. One video of Meemers, posted Aug. 18, has drawn more than 45 million views as of Monday.
Owner Katie Dahlen, who previously worked at the shelter where Meemers was found, has always loved making clips for social media. But, Dahlen told TODAY.com, that she never expected the video of Meemers to go viral seemingly overnight.
“I missed making videos, and I was like, ‘Well, I have this awesome cat, and I want to share her with people,’” Dahlen said. “I just didn’t realize how big she would blow up in a 24-hour span. It was crazy.”
In the video, Meemers, in her black, fluffy glory, simply sits down. There’s a few shots of Meemers giving her best Blue Steel as well. And it’s truly easy to see why she’s so beloved.
“Sensational whiskers / body tea / no notes 🖤” one fan replied.
Another demanded a collab between Meemers, Jimothy and Tilly, the famous pup who also has short spine syndrome.
Meemers is certainly unique. From her shoulders to the base of her tail, she’s only about 7 1/2-inches long. She also has a slight tail deformity. For Dahlen, who’s had Meemers for over a year now, it was love at first sight.
“She was actually left at the shelter in a box outside,” Dahlen said of the shelter at which she was working at the time. “Literally, from the day she came in, I was like, ‘She needs to come home with me.’”
Meemers was, at first, not in the greatest shape, Dahlen said. The fur around her butt was matted and there was an abscess in the area as well, Dahlen explained.
“The owner had tried to shave her, so you could tell they cared, but maybe they didn’t have the resources, and they were embarrassed about walking her in through the doors,” Dahlen said. “So they left her out front.”
After Meemers was given a course of antibiotics and some TLC, she was ready to head home with Dahlen. And since July 2025, Dahlen said she and her husband have been enjoying their adorable cat.
Given her deformities, Meemers has had to make a couple of adjustments in order to thrive, Dahlen said. She doesn’t climb much and she’s unable to jump. Because her organs are squished in her very small body, she needs to be held a certain way, Dahlen said. The feline also overheats quite easily.
“I always equate her to being kind of like a pug, where she overheats easily if it’s too warm outside,” she said. Dahlen added that if Meemers overexerts herself, she’ll start panting. “So a lot of her supervised outside time in her backyard is in the evening when it’s cooler.”
Dahlen pointed out that Meemers has “virtually no neck,” so she’s unable to successfully groom her own back. That’s where Dahlen comes in.
“I brush her multiple times a day. If I’m sitting down, watching TV in the evening, she’s sitting on my lap and I’m grooming her,” Dahlen said. “She gets the occasional bath because I can only redistribute the oils in her coat so much with brushing.”
Though none of that has stopped Meemers from having an infectious personality. She’s a people person, er, cat, Dahlen said. And she’s quite social.
“She loves people,” Dahlen said. “I can literally take her out like anywhere on leash.”
Meemers also loves being pet, and often returns the favor with chatty little meows that Dahlen likens to the sound that SpongeBob’s pet Gary the snail makes.
“She loves to be held, but you have to hold her right,” Dahlen said. “When you pet her, she will talk.”
As for Meemers’ incredible name? Well, Dahlen said it’s actually a moniker that evolved from the cat’s original name Mila.
“I was calling her ‘Mimi.’ I was calling her ‘Mealy Bug,’ and then ‘Meemers’ just kind of came up,” Dahlen said of the cat’s now one true government name. “Then she was really only responding to that.”
Dahlen said she’s been pleased with the positive reception to her Meemers and hopes that fans can learn from the sweet cat.
“Give special needs cats a chance,” Dahlen said. “They definitely do require a little adaptation at home, but they are so worth it.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
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