Viral Utah kitten memorialized with plushie which will raise funds for local shelter

SALT LAKE CITY — He may have been small, but his story took the internet by a large storm. The tiny orange kitten became a household name for many Utahns, even a year later.

The kitten, Tater Tot, was rescued. His foster mom, Ash Houghton said he had four deformed legs and a cleft palate. His chances of survival on the street were basically none and were slim even in foster care.

But before he met his end, he cultivated a large following of people in need of connection. He seemed to represent resilience for his followers, showing them that there could be a bigger purpose for life’s downfalls or tough times.

“What started as me sharing some photos of the goofy new foster I had turned into an entire community focused on kindness, humor and compassion,” Houghton wrote, after his death.

Almost exactly a year after his story began, Tater Tot’s legacy resurfaced Monday when Houghton posted a new video on TikTok, saying Tater Tot would be memorialized through a Tater Tot stuffed animal — if only his followers could pledge $2 on a petition to start the production process.

Tater Tot’s followers filled the petition with the required signatures in just under an hour.

Houghton said the proceeds will benefit the rescue shelter that helped Tater Tot, Kitty CrusAIDe. The $2 donations would go toward the final cost of a plushie, which will sell for $29.99.

Houghton and Kitty CrusAIDe are partnering with Makeship, who will make the final prototype design. Reference images of the plushy show a cartoon-character-looking version of Tater Tot, complete with mismatched casts on his front legs.

Production for the Tater Tot plushie is expected to begin in November and prototypes will be available to view Nov. 2, according to Makeship. Houghton said international shipping would be available.

@kittycrusaide Exciting news!! We are coming up on 1 year since Tater Tot passed and we officially have a petition for a Tater Tot Plushy! We are partnering with @makeship to create a cute Tater Tot you can bring home, but we need your help! We need 200 pledges on the petition to get this plushy into production. Pledges will be $2 and this will go toward the final cost of $29.99 if the petition is successful! As soon as I have the design, I will be sharing with all of you. Right now, we need to show how loved Tater Tot was and that this will be a successful campaign, so please help us spread the word! #tatertot #spudbud #bonkers #grompycat #TTbonkers #rescuekitten #specialneedskitten #specialneeds #specialneedscat #utahfosterpets #fosterpetsoftiktok #kittycrusaide #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #tatertotcat #kitten #catsoftiktok #kittensoftiktok #cat #badonkabonk #badonkabonks #makeship @Ash 📚🏳️‍🌈 ♬ original sound – Kitty CrusAIDe