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R.I.P. Louie the Cat 1998-2013

by Jonathan Metts and Neal Ronaghan - July 30, 2013, 8:10 am EDT
Total comments: 25

A Planet GameCube legend and institution has passed on.

When Planet GameCube began in 1999, our founder Billy Berghammer had a little kitty named Louie that quickly became a part of the site, showing up in unboxings, working his way onto the cover of our E3 2002 DVD, and assuming the mantle of Rumors Editor. It's with a heavy heart that we at Nintendo World Report announce that Louie the Cat passed away recently. Check below for a note from Radio Free Nintendo Host/former Planet GameCube Director Jonathan Metts along with some links to some awesome Louie content.

It's a strange thing to say goodbye to someone else's pet. I knew Louie the Cat for over 13 years through photos, articles, and most of all, through my friend Billy. It doesn't make logical sense to showcase your cat on a Nintendo website, but his eagerness to do so created an early Internet celebrity. As our site's mascot, Louie became one of the most famous felines on the web until Grumpy Cat came along. When we needed a Quarterman-style character to anonymously write rumor articles, it just seemed natural to give Louie free reign over the keyboard. That's how he became our first and only non-human staff member, complete with his own profile page that still indexes most of his articles. The early rumor sheets were a bit hard to read (perhaps inspired by JeffK's body of work), so we eventually sent Louie to grammar school. You can probably guess that's when I started to contribute to his articles, though much of the writing was still handled by guys like Billy and Max Lake. Among the staff, there was a sense of communal ownership of Louie's online identity, and I think that's the reason I started to feel a strong connection with the real Louie, who I'd never met.

Our first and only real-world encounter occurred many years later, when I got to visit Billy's L.A. apartment during a trip to E3. There was Louie, in the fur, jumping onto the couch to let me scratch his ears. For the kitty, this was just another chance to get attention from an unknown visitor. I stood there in teary-eyed disbelief that this could be the real Louie the Cat nuzzling my hand. He never knew how famous he was, or what he represented to a few of us old-timers. While our website has felt old and distinguished for quite a while, Louie continued to exist as his playful, youthful, naive self. For me, he will always represent the innovation and enthusiasm of our founder, as well as a special time in my life when I felt part of something productive, outlandishly popular, and completely independent. While all pets and their owners eventually pass, Louie has a unique kind of immortality as long as this website continues, and even far beyond that in the hearts and memories of those who knew and viewed him even from afar.

Meow

Talkback

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorJuly 30, 2013

sadface.

KhushrenadaJuly 30, 2013

Wow. I just mentioned Louie in a post yesterday. Bummer news.

StrikerObiMike Sklens, Podcast EditorJuly 30, 2013

R.I.P. Louie "TEH" Cat.

AVJuly 30, 2013

:(  as a long time reader of the website this makes me sad. i remember louie

Best of wishes to Billy. It sounds like Louie was an awesome cat.

pichaelJuly 30, 2013

Awwww. I never normally comment on articles but this had made my day sad. I remember from the good old Planet GC days. Bless him.

shingi_70July 30, 2013

RIP Louie. Was just listening to the 8-4 play E3 episoide where billy mentioned him.

EnnerJuly 30, 2013

Salute!


( ;_; )7

ShyGuyJuly 30, 2013

He will live on forever in our hearts  :'(

SarailJuly 30, 2013

Louie is the bestest cat in the entire world. A true kitty-gamer at heart, he is. He'll definitely be missed.

oohhboyHong Hang Ho, Staff AlumnusJuly 30, 2013

I always preferred Louie's pre-grammer school days. It was far more fun to read as you could imagine a cat pawing away at his keyboard with excitement not restricted by such passe ideas, such as human sensibilities.

Rest now Louie, dashing prince of the internet.  :cool;

pours out a .40 of milk

My own cat passed away after a full life recently, so I know some of what Billy's going through. I wasn't around for Louie's heyday on the site, but he was such an icon for so long... dang.

RIP, Louie. Pookie, be nice to him.

Retro DeckadesJuly 30, 2013

This is very sad news :(


I lost a young dog about a month ago to an uncommon disease, and it was heartbreaking. Pets always touch our lives in ways we neither fully anticipate or often fully appreciate at the time. I am sure that Louie left Billy with many happy memories, and that they are a source of comfort to him during this sad time.

Mop it upJuly 30, 2013

Wow, now that's a blast from the past. I remember Louie from the old days, it was a nice bit of random goofiness that helped round out the site. He didn't get as many articles as he should have had, but he had a good run.

nickmitchJuly 30, 2013

:'(

RIP, Louie. Hope Billy is holding up ok.

DAaaMan64July 30, 2013

:'(

Many of our old articles weren't properly attributed when we moved into the current site format and database. As we find old Louie articles and add his name to the authors list, they will automatically be added to his staff profile. So, hit up that link above and bookmark it! I just found an epic Metroid Prime preview update where he spilled the beans on just about every detail you could possibly want... all a month before the game was released! And the writing is really funny, too.

TurdFurgyJuly 31, 2013

I only ever heard of this legendary cat in passing from podcasts and little mentions here and there. My cat's the same age. Makes me think about how much time my cat has left. She's starting to show her age a bit too. Her name is... I don't know how to spell it, but it's saying the letters C, A and T. It kind of sounds hispanic a bit. See Aye Ti? C-A-T? I dunno..., sorry about your cat or, it sounds like, the People's Cat.
Rest in peace. I wish I knew you.

CaterkillerMatthew Osborne, Contributing WriterJuly 31, 2013

Man losing a pet is the worst. RIP Louie.

jarodeaJuly 31, 2013

:( My cat is a little older than Louie so I'm going to hug him.

DasmosJuly 31, 2013

Aww this is so sad. I'm gonna chnage my avatar to a Louie picture in tribute.

Ian SaneJuly 31, 2013

Last week my cat was missing for a few days.  I spent a few hours searching around the neighbourhood and as time went by without finding him I started to feel really terrible.  Luckily he managed to show up on his own shortly after I got back home from looking for him.  I'm very thankful to have him back.

I felt pretty bad thinking that maybe I had lost my kitty, so I imagine that Billy would feel worse.  Hope you get through it, buddy.

MannyponJuly 31, 2013

RIP Louie.  Its never easy losing the little ones in our family.  I had to put one down last year and there are still reminders that take me down a peg at times.  I got 2 left now and I can only hope I have more time with them.  I'm sure Louie gave Billy many years of good memories. 

SundoulosAugust 01, 2013

RIP Louie.  I remember stumbling onto PGC several times and reading some of the rumor pages; I thought they were funny and unique.  It seems like a lifetime ago at this point. 

I've had both cats and dogs over the years, and it's never easy to say goodbye to them once they're gone.  At least Louie had a long, happy life.

Oh no, Louie!! My sincerest condolences, Billy!

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