Famous Ukrainian Cat Who Brings Joy To So Many Flees With His Family

"We're [alright] now ... and will do the very best we can to help our country" 💙💛

Stepan’s mom started posting photos and videos of him on Instagram and TikTok in 2020, and since then, he’s absolutely taken the internet by storm. He now has over a million followers on both platforms, and people come to his pages knowing without a doubt that he’s going to make them smile and bring a little joy to their lives.

Stepan is goofy and curious and loves posing for adorable and silly photos. Recently, though, Stepan’s life and routine had to change because he and his family live in Ukraine.

When Russia first invaded Ukraine, everyone was worried for Stepan and his family’s safety. They left comments on his posts and someone even started a Twitter account for him, to post updates and try to spread awareness. Stepan and his family weren’t posting much, and everyone just hoped that they were OK.

Finally, Stepan’s family was able to post an update and let everyone know that they were able to make it out of Ukraine safely — with Stepan in tow.

“We spent two nights in the basement and without electricity for a week,” Stepan’s family wrote on Instagram. “We had to go to the nearby basement to charge the phone. Then we managed to leave the city. Kharkiv volunteers helped by taking us to the railway station. We got on the train Kharkiv to Lviv (in 20 hours, we got to Lviv). Then we followed to the border with Poland. At the border, we stood in a line in a pedestrian crossing. There were a lot of people (4 to 5 thousand). After 9 hours, we crossed the border.”

cat on a train
Instagram/loveyoustepan

Unfortunately, the war arrived on Stepan and his family’s doorstep, and they knew they couldn’t stay. Even though it must have been difficult to take shelter with a cat, there was no way they could ever leave Stepan behind. Luckily, they were able to travel across the country with Stepan safely, and he even got to look out the windows on the train and watch the world go by. The family is now in France and hoping that, eventually, they can return to Ukraine.

Ukrainian cat
Instagram/loveyoustepan

“When we reached Poland, we were offered help from the World Influencers and Bloggers Association from Monaco,” the family wrote. “They helped us get to France to wait for the very day when we could return home. We're [alright] now. We worry very much about our relatives in Ukraine and will do the very best we can to help our country.”

Stepan has brought so much joy to so many people, and everyone is so relieved to hear that he and his family are safe.

You can follow Stepan on Instagram and TikTok.