This paper examines the presence of cute companion animals with physical abnormalities on Instagram and compares it to Victorian freak shows. Drawing on several (auto)biographies of pet influencers with spectacular deformities, it analyses animal freakery as a source of ethical controversy. On the one hand, their display can increase tolerance towards animals with disabilities and genetic disorders; on the other hand, the affective pull of ugly-cute bodies invites the monetization of illness. The success of Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub turned animal freakery into a social media trend with a diverse taxonomy of living 'exhibits.' Reflecting on similarities between representations of animals with abnormalities on Instagram and the construction of 'human oddities' in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth century dime museums, the paper explores the role of cuteness in the rise of animal freakery and considers the extent to which rhetoric of inclusivity and care for cats with abnormalities draws attention away from the potential downsides of their celebrification.
