A while back, we wrote a piece about what was, at the time, the #1 tourist attraction in Gdansk, Poland. It was a dog named Milka, who had found some celebrity by hanging out on her person’s balcony, and wound up getting so many positive reviews on Google Maps that, for a while, she was the #1 tourist attraction in the city.
Of course, in the ongoing war around the world of which are better, dogs or cats (Note: it’s dogs), we would feel bad if we didn’t tell you of a recent discovery. Milka may have won the hearts of Gdansk. But in Szczecin, Poland, it’s a cat that’s winning the popularity contest.
Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, Szczecin is Poland’s seventh-largest city, and a major seaport. It’s also home to Gacek the cat.
The black-and-white tuxedo cat became the city’s No. 1 rated tourist attraction last month. According to number of reviews on Google Maps, Gacek (which means “long eared bat in Polish) had earned a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars, with over 4000 reviews.
Gacek (pronounced GATS-ek) is a stray who lives in a wooden box on Kaszubska street. However unlike most homeless felines, he’s well known on the internet, thanks to a video that local news outlet wSzczecinie posted back in 2020.
Although a stray, Gacek, who has his own Instagram account, apparently lives the good life. His box is covered and his bedding is cushy and changed often. He has fresh water right next to him. And he also gets lots of snacks from well-meaning people who pass by, to the extent that he’s even a little chunky.
Similar to what they did to Milka, it appears that Google Maps recently tried to remove Gacek’s listing (They did this a few weeks ago, too. What kind of animal haters are they, anyway???). However “Kot Gacek,” as he’s known (“cat” translates into “kot” in Polish) popped back up on the site a few days later, albeit with all of his reviews gone. Well wishers have since been building up his cred on Google again, with nearly all 5 star reviews.
So if you ever find yourself in Szczecin, Poland and want to visit the most popular tourist attraction in town, make sure to bring some catnip or a toy mouse with you. 😉
Feature Photo: Instagram
H/T: Notes from Poland
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2 comments
It’s cats. Try leaving you dog at home alone for a week and see what happens.
Dogs rule. Cats drool. Cats also make me sneeze, so… 😉