Grumpiness pays off for this sourpuss

Add "cat owner" to the list of most lucrative jobs you could have.

Grumpy Cat, the Justin Bieber of felines, has netted US$99.5 million (S$131 million) over the past two years, British newspapers Express and The Telegraph said on Sunday.

This would mean it made more than American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, The Telegraph added.

Its owner, former waitress Tabatha Bundesen, refuted this but has yet to say how much her famous two-year-old cat has earned her.

Earlier reports estimated that Grumpy Cat Limited is worth seven figures. New York Magazine reported the value of the company at US$1 million in a feature last year. That was before the disgruntled kitty, real name Tardar Sauce, starred in a TV movie - Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever - which aired on Nov 29.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Bundesens earned "a low-six-figure sum off the cat" last year.

It all started when one cute photo that Ms Bundesen's brother, Bryan, posted in September 2012 went viral.

Grumpy Cat has seven million followers on Facebook, 523,000 on Instagram and 250,000 on Twitter. Her YouTube channel has half a million subscribers as well.

Pop star Taylor Swift has more than 70 million followers on Facebook, but the cat tops celebrities like model and TV host Tyra Banks, who has 6.4 million followers.

Grumpy Cat's profits come from translating that popularity into hot-selling T-shirts, product endorsements and the movie deal.

She has her own brand of iced coffee (Grumppucino), a product endorsement deal with Friskies cat food, the Christmas TV movie, two books (Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book, which made the New York Times bestseller list), and The Grumpy Guide To Life: Observations From Grumpy Cat, T-shirts, plush toys, keychains, calendars and paper dolls sold on Grumpy Cat's website and Amazon.

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