A Melbourne “influencer cat” is raking in a staggering amount of money each year after becoming a social media superstar.
While you wouldn’t know it by looking at her now, but Instagram-famous cat Honey Belle, 3, did not have the easiest start in life.
Rescued from the streets by a local animal shelter, she spent months waiting for her “forever home” – but is now living her best life after being adopted by kind hearted cat lovers Nicole and Paul.
The furry feline has since won hearts around the world with her charming internet persona as a famous “cat chef” and wowing her fans with her wide variety of costumes.
With nearly 160k Instagram followers, Honey’s success has earnt her a staggering small fortune, with the cat impressively raking almost $63,000 last year – with her future earnings predicted to continue skyrocketing.
“We started Honey’s Instagram in January 2020 when we adopted her, as a way to document her growing up,” Nicole told news.com.au.
“When the pandemic started, I had a bunch of extra free time so really started to research and invest myself into learning more about social media and how to be successful.
“We grew followers pretty quickly and had 20k within four months, but the only brand deals we could secure were gifted at first.
“We got our first paid deal about six months after we had started, but didn’t start to see decent earnings until mid-2021.”
In 2022, Honey earned just under $63,000 – which is impressively above the median national salary, according the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Nicole said although it took a little while for her Instagram account to take off, it was worth the wait – and now Honey has fans from all around the globe.
After making $50k in 2021, this increased by $15k in 2022 – with the ‘cat-fluencer’ expected to make even more cash in 2023.
“Things really started to take off when we started posting the reels,” she explained.
“We do baking reels, they really show off Honey’s persona as a cat chef. People adore her.
“It is important to have multiple streams of income, as brand deals are not always available. We regularly release merchandise and have a cookbook coming out this year.
“Many people ask how we get the ideas, we usually try to follow what is trending.
“I try to make the posts relatable, educational or entertaining, so that our followers are getting value and have fun every time they view our content.
“Honey loves making videos, and really enjoys all the attention she gets when we film or take pictures.
“She is often purring through the whole process. She also always gets her favourite treats as payment, of course.”
Nicole said there has been some backlash on her video, with people accusing her of “using” Honey for financial gain.
“We never do anything she doesn’t want to do, and ensure her health, safety and happiness always come first,” she said.
“Creating content with her has been an amazing way to bond and document her life with us, make friendships and connections from around the world, and inspire others to adopt from and support shelters.
“We regularly donate to shelters and rescues, and donate 10 per cent of our Etsy shop earnings.
“She’s not a fancy pure bred cat and may just be an ‘ordinary’ rescue, but we are hoping to prove that rescues can and do live extraordinary lives.”
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