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How fat cat Bender became a Russian social media star 
Words:  Alice CosterProducer: Andrew Piva
Say hello to Bender the Chonky Cat, Melbourne's biggest social media star in Russia.
The chubby feline lives in a public housing flat in Tecoma with his 70-year-old Russian owner, Nella Cage. But he's no ordinary Melbourne moggy.
During lockdown, Bender The Chonky became a social media sensation in the old Eastern Bloc, with more than a million international followers and counting.
Pictures of Bender now adorn billboards outside the Russian city of Tula, with captions of him as an unofficial mascot, encouraging tourists to try the city’s famous gingerbread.
Over in the Ukraine, the fat cat has become a cultural icon, with videos urging people to visit the country and to "try the borscht”.
But how did a 12-year-old moggy from Melbourne become a bona fide Russian superstar?
One Russian follower commented that Bender resembled a typical close relative “giving undemanded advice on a regular basis”.
Ms Cage is baffled by her cat's fame, saying she simply liked uploading pictures and videos of the prized pusska to TikTok during lockdown.
But whatever she's doing, it's working. Bender's followers can't get enough of him and aren't afraid to express their love.
Living alone, Ms Cage said Bender is her only companion and like many, he stacked on the kilos during lockdown. He now weighs in at 13kg, not that it's hurt his popularity.
NELLA CAGE
“”
I love taking pictures of Bender and he just loves the attention. One time Bender meowed and that was it, he went viral. I just want to make people happy and it keeps me busy.
																																								

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/web-stories/free/herald-sun/melbourne-fat-cat-bender-the-chonky-a-social-media-star-in-russia