The term “Milkshake Duck” was created by a Twitter/X user @pixelatedboat to describe the phenomenon of people—or in this case, animals—who become very famous, very quickly, only for all of us to soon find out that they have a lurid, offensive, or controversial past. “We regret to inform you the duck is racist.” But what if the milkshake duck becomes famous for milkshake ducking? That is the story of Maxwell, aka max2049, a cat that has become famous on TikTok for being a piece of shit.
Maxwell stands in quite the stark contrast to Moo Deng, the adorable viral baby pygmy hippo from Thailand. If only we could return to the peaceful, cuddly days of his mischief. But no. Maxwell is the viral TikTok animal of the day, and he is a terror.
There’s no sordid history to unlock here. The sordid history is what we’re here for. Maxwell’s owners strapped a camera to his neck so they could see what he gets up to when he roams around the neighborhood. It turns out Maxwell is an asshole who likes picking fights with other cats.
Maxwell’s role as the antagonizer in his altercations is indisputable. The videos clearly show Maxwell going around, taking swipes at other cats for simply existing. He’s a real dickhead and that’s why he’s beloved. Well, mostly beloved.
When you rack up 2 million followers on a social media platform, you’re bound to have detractors. A lot of people questioned the ethics of watching videos of animals fighting each other. It’s understandable, it could feel like you’re watching a cutesy version of a snuff film, or maybe a home pet version of those disturbing Bum Fights videos from way back. That’s understandable.
But if you feel this way, you also have to understand that cats are extremely territorial creatures. Toss him into the mix with other neighborhood cats and he’s gonna start some shit to protect his turf. There’s also the possibility that he’s just naturally very aggressive, as some pets tend to be.
It’s all part of a crapshoot of pet ownership, especially with cats who people tend to just bring off the street. So until Maxwell utters a slur or commits a heinous crime worthy of a prison sentence, let’s just attribute his behavior to the average day-to-day life of a cat.
The post Maxwell the Fighting Cat Terrorizes the Neighborhood with a GoPro on His Head appeared first on VICE.
The post Maxwell the Fighting Cat Terrorizes the Neighborhood with a GoPro on His Head appeared first on VICE.
