Ottawa's latest Instagram star is a middle-aged white cat that doesn't care for salad

Once upon a time, at a table not very far away, a white cat made a face at a salad. Someone took a picture.

The internet decided it was relatable and began making jokes. Now,more than onemillion followers keep tabs on the finicky feline.

The cat's name isSmudge, and the moment was captured atasuburban Ottawa home in June 2018.

I don't know why he was making that face, but it's the best thing he's ever done.- Miranda Stillabower, Smudge's owner

"He eats dinner at our table. He gets really upset if he doesn't have a chair," saidMiranda Stillabower, 24, Smudge's owner.

"Someone got up from dinner and he must have thought, 'Oh, this is my chair,'and he sat there.My brother's girlfriend took the picture."

'Super unimpressed'

OK, but what'swith that expression, the one Stillabowersums up as"super unimpressed?"

"I don't know why he was making that face, but it's the best thing he's ever done," she said.

Stillabower thought the picture was funny, so she posted it on her Tumblr blog. It sat there for a few months until it somehow caught on and got shared tens of thousands of times.

More recently, Smudge's picture was given a second life when someone, for reasons no one can quite fathom, paired it with a screengrabof an angry woman from theReal Housewivesreality TV series.

"I think the original photo is [popular] because he looks so dissatisfied with the plate of salad, then [the pairing] looks kind of like an argumentative setup, which is why it's worked so well," Stillabower said.

"Also I want to say that I think Smudge is adorable. I think that's why, too."

The viral meme's other halfhas confirmed she's a fan of the jokes, by the way.

1.1 millionfollowers

Now, with more than 1 millionfollowers, smudge_lordhas become one of Instagram'sfew true celebrities from the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

An unscientific sweep of the platform shows:

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeauand actorSandra Oheach has3.2 million.
• TheOttawa Senators have about 285,000.
• Alanis Morissettehas 461,000.
• @crusoe_dachshund, probably the capital's most famous Insta-dog, has about 769,000.

So what does Smudge think of thenewfound fame? In keeping with the cat'simage, pretty meh, actually.

"He's just a cat, as amazing as he is," Stillabower said."He has no idea he's famous. He goes about his daily lifeand it's normal, then you go online and he's everywhere. That's when it starts to be crazy."

Stillabower said she'd like to be able to take the cat, which is about six or seven years old, to meetfans, but Smudge has hadanxiety issues sincebefore his adoption about five years ago.

She said she's on the lookout for a behavioural therapist able to help Smudge adapt to the internet influencer role.