That’s what happened in the Polish city of Szczecin – the largest port city and also the city with the most interesting history in this Central European country.

Each city in Poland has its own beauty, not only ancient, magnificent buildings, unique architectural works but also historical and cultural values. Szczecin is the same, this medieval city always attracts the attention of tourists because of its interesting landscapes and history. However, recently, it has become even more famous thanks to… a stray cat!

Gacek was nicknamed “The King of Kaszubska Street”.

Tourists usually visit Szczecin to see the Pomeranian Duke’s Castle and Kasprowicza Park. These are two of the city’s most popular destinations. But now, neither of these landmarks surpasses Gacek, an obese stray cat who roams Kaszubska Street, in the port city of Szczecin.

According to local media, this black-and-white, slightly “oversized” and overweight cat has become the “top tourist attraction in the Polish city.” It has received more than 2,500 reviews and a near-perfect score of 4.9/5 on Google.

Suddenly famous

According to local people, Gacek was just a stray cat, without a family or anyone to take care of him. He lived in hiding on Kaszubska Street.

In January 2020, local news agency wSzczecinie posted a video of Gacek and nicknamed him “King of Kaszubska Street”. The video has since been viewed more than 4.5 million times on social media platforms Facebook and YouTube. Since then, Gacek has become a celebrity, receiving the love and attention of local residents. Many people want to come to see the skinny, small cat with their own eyes and feed him.

But after being overfed for a while, the cat became overweight. But it was Gacek’s chubby body that made him even more popular.

The pain of being famous

According to Insider, Gacek received nearly 2,600 reviews on Google but was deleted for unknown reasons. A new post attracted nearly 500 reviews and an average rating of 5 stars in the first 48 hours.

Many people leaving reviews on Google said they traveled from all over Poland and even from other countries to see Gacek, in the flesh.

After Gacek became famous on social media, many tourists from other countries braved the long distance to meet this special cat. According to Mirror, one tourist claimed that he made the trip from Oslo (Norway) – overcoming a journey of nearly 1,000 km – to meet the cat.

“As expected, the animal ignored me, which still made my trip enjoyable,” wrote the tourist from Oslo, Norway. “If I had the choice of having dinner with anyone in the world, I would fly there in a heartbeat to feed the cat!”

“Have a good evening or even afternoon,” one person cheered.

Another wrote: “A beautiful and wonderful cat, Gacek has pleased us with his presence.”

In fact, Gacek was a stray cat, but after becoming famous, people made a temporary box for him to call home and had a person take care of his eating, bathing, and hygiene.

Local news agency Gazeta.pl reported that an animal protection organization in the city has called on people to stop feeding Gacek, as excessive attention and treatment from fans has caused the famous cat to become overweight and obese.

Not only that, because of his fame, Gacek is often disturbed even during his rest time. “I happily pose for pictures, but please do not pet me while I am napping,” reads a note at Gacek’s home.