![Potato the Cat has racked up an eye-popping 34,252 Instagram followers (and counting) in less than two years.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2019/11/1200/675/potato-cat-4-Caters.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Potato the Cat has racked up an eye-popping 34,252 Instagram followers (and counting) in less than two years. (Caters News Agency)
A cat with an unusual stare has caught the Internet’s eye.
Despite his slightly unnerving resemblance to a wide-eyed wooden puppet, Potato the Cat’s peculiar peepers have earned more than 34,000 followers on Instagram.
The optical oddity was adopted by Ashley Norlien, 21, more than two years ago. And like many proud fur parents, she decided to upload some pics of her cat online. That’s when Potato got his first taste of fame.
“People immediately noticed something was different about his eyes,” Norlien said.
![The optical oddity was adopted by Ashley Norlien, 21, more than two years ago.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2019/11/1200/675/potato-cat-1-Caters.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
The optical oddity was adopted by Ashley Norlien, 21, more than two years ago. (Caters News Agency)
Many social media users were freaked out by the walleyed feline, posting cries of “Is this cat broken?” One Instagram gawker even analogized him to Insectosaurus, the googly-eyed grub from “Monsters Vs. Aliens.”
Potato’s flummoxed owner has no idea how her pet got the ocular aberration.
“I don’t know if it’s some genetic condition,” she says.
Fortunately, others appreciated Potato’s kooky eyes, saying “My heart is melting” and “I’m so in love with his eyes.”
![Potato’s flummoxed owner has no idea how her pet got the ocular aberration.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2019/11/1200/675/potato-cat-2-Caters.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Potato’s flummoxed owner has no idea how her pet got the ocular aberration. (Caters News Agency)
And just like Dumbo’s oversized ears, the kitty’s once-lampooned look has propelled him to stardom. Potato has racked up an eye-popping 34,252 Instagram followers (and counting) in less than two years.
Even Norlien has started to embrace Potato’s eyes, saying, “It sure does make a memorable look.”
Potato isn’t the first pet to become a social media star due to a bizarre visage. Last month, the Internet fell in love with these cocker spaniels’ freakishly long eyelashes.