Chonky Cat Is a Top Tourist Attraction in Poland According to Google Reviews. We Are Barely Surprised.

It may be worth booking your ticket to Poland to meet a rotund feline though he may possibly ignore you. Gacek, an obese black-and-white cat, has become the most popular tourist attraction in Szczecin, Poland. The feline has captivated visitors from all over the world, garnering over 1,000 Google reviews and a rare 5-star rating. Gacek is a free-roaming cat who lives in a box on Szczecin's Kaszubska Street. His name translates to "long-eared bat" and is pronounced "gats-ek" in Polish, reports NZHerald. 

According to the local blog Notes From Poland, Gacek, the "King of Kaszubska St," began gathering fans from as far away as Germany in 2020, according to local media outlet wSzczecinie. wSzczecinie published a video about the "King of Kaszubska St" in January 2020, which has been viewed over 640 thousand times on YouTube. Soon after, wSzczecinie reported that Gacek had begun to attract fans from as far away as Germany. The feline has only grown famous (not just fatter, don't body shame this chonk) since then. 

Gacek allegedly had nearly 2600 reviews, but it was removed. Insider reports that a new listing received nearly 500 reviews and an average 5-star rating in its first 48 hours. The feline has surpassed Szczecin's other tourist hotspots in fame, including a Pomeranian Dukes' Castle built in 1346. According to Google reviews, people have traveled from all over Poland and even other countries to see him in his furry person. "I flew from Oslo with transit in Gdańsk to see Gacek. As expected, he didn’t pay any attention to me which made the experience fully wholesome," read one five-star review from August 2021. "If I could have dinner with anyone in the world, I would fly again in an instant to feed him," they added.

Some people were concerned about Gacek's size, which is exacerbated by visitors who bring treats. According to the news website Gazeta. pl, a local animal shelter has asked people not to feed the famous cat, and a sign beside his house asks visitors to only leave treats in closed packets so his owner can open them. "I gladly pose for photos, but please don't stroke me while I'm sleeping," the sign adds. Gacek isn't the only animal to go viral as a tourist attraction in Poland on Google. In 2021, the highest-rated tourist attraction was a dog that frequently hung out on a balcony in Gdansk.