Fierce Feline Named 'Angry Pearl' Goes From Shelter to Viral Stardom

“We noticed her immediately because of her face," said Will Highsmith.

ByABC News
January 7, 2016, 4:41 PM
Fierce Feline Named 'Angry Pearl' Goes From Shelter to Viral Stardom
Fierce Feline Named 'Angry Pearl' Goes From Shelter to Viral Stardom
Instagram/RealAngryPearl

— -- When Will Highsmith and his girlfriend were perusing the Animal Care and Protective Services’ website Monday night, they instantly fell in love with Pearl, an orange cat with a very angry face.

They went to the shelter the very next day in hopes Pearl would still be there.

“We thought she was cute and figured she’d be gone pretty fast but we got there and turned the corner and there she was,” Highsmith, of Jacksonville, Florida, told ABC News. “We noticed her immediately because of her face.”

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Pearl has earned herself the nickname “Angry Pearl" around the Highsmith household and on social media, and her newly adopted parents are having quite a good time making the most of her disgruntled expression.

“While we were at the shelter she was looking at me through the bars,” said Highsmith. “I took a picture and thought it was hilarious and posted it on Reddit under cats. It blew up on Imgur really fast and people were telling me to make an Instagram for this cat. People kept suggesting I do it so I made a few funny ones with funny, little lines all about hate.”

Angry Pearl already has more than 8,000 followers on Instagram, although Pearl is not impressed. She’d much rather just sleep on her futon in front of her new favorite fireplace.

“We slid a futon in front of the fireplace and at night she sleeps right at the edge of the futon,” Highsmith said. “She just sits in front of it like she’s some sort of evil mastermind.”

And as for Highsmith keeping the name Pearl, he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“She’s 'Pissed Off Pearl,'” he explained. “Pearl just seems like an old lady that would be a landlord that would be calling the police on you all the time. We loved it.”