Gacek’s reputation was somewhat damaged by an incident involving a sausage.
A fat black-and-white cat that lives on the street has become the top-rated tourist attraction in a Polish city.
The puss, called Gacek, has a perfect five-star rating on Google Maps.
Tourists coming to the medieval city of Szczecin are seemingly swapping historical landmarks and museums for a tour with the cat, whose name – pronounced gats-ek – means “long-eared bat” in Polish.
Located in northwestern Poland and near the German border, Szczecin’s tourist attractions include the Pomeranian Duke’s Castle and Kasprowicza Park.
Yet the feline, which is said to have first appeared on the streets a decade ago and is now known as the ‘King of Kaszubska Street’, has beaten many of them to become a must-see attraction.
Gacek has been living in a covered wooden box on Szczecin’s Kaszubska Street for several years and, judging by his physique, gets plenty of snacks from passers-by, local news outlet wSzczecinie reports.
The cat has been clocking up views on YouTube since a documentary came out about him in 2020.
He is now so famous in fact that he has lured visitors from neighbouring country Germany, according to Notes From Poland.
According to Mental Floss, the moggy’s previous listing had almost 2,600 reviews before it was removed. A new listing has attracted nearly 500 reviews and an average 5-star rating in its first 48 hours, Insider reports.
One reviewer said: “I am very fortunate to have come here and meet this distinguished gentle creature.”
Meanwhile, in August 2021, another reviewer revealed that they had flown all the way from Oslo in Norway to see Gacek, Insider reported.
The person wrote: “As expected, he didn’t pay any attention to me, which made the experience fully wholesome.
“If I could have a dinner with anyone in the world, I would fly again in an instant to feed him.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmgysG5qma0/
Though the cat is certainly famous, boasting more than 8,000 followers on Instagram, not everyone is a fan. One person left Gacek a one-star rating in 2022, claiming the cat had stolen a “sausage”.
According to locals and tourists, Gacek is a “fantastically handsome and superb fellow” but he has a tendency to scratch or steal food when he is in a bad mood.
A local animal shelter has urged visitors not to feed Gacek, as his box is located outside a shop whose workers look after him.
