A Cat Once 'Haunted' A Shop In New York City. Now He's Starring In TikTok's Hottest New Show

Casper the cat, much like his ghostly namesake, is a lot more friendly than he is scary.The orange tabby spooked his way into the name after “haunting” the ceiling of the Brooklyn-based scenic shop Object Fabrication, which has built sets and pieces used by Elton John and seen in the musical adaptation of “Safety Not Guaranteed.”While Casper hasn’t done a world tour or hit the stage, he’s now a star on “Shop Cats,” a social media show highlighting felines living in bodegas and other businesses in New York City.Advertisement “He’s our mascot and our leader here, so him being on the show makes perfect sense,” said Sophia Rauch, project manager at Object Fabrication.The show, launched by media company Mad Realities last month, has become a viral hit, with its clips garnering tens of millions of views across Instagram and TikTok.Host Michelladonna looks for a cat at a bodega in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.Natalie Keyssar for HuffPostShop staffers spill on their four-legged business partners as “Shop Cats” host Michelladonna talks with the felines, scopes out their vibes and learns whether they’re “hunters or gatherers” with fun toys and treats.Advertisement Comedian Michelladonna, who grew up in Queens’ Ridgewood neighborhood, told HuffPost they could talk about bodega cats “all day” and feel it’s the “perfect” gig.“People on the show are just down to participate — it’s just so authentic and organic because it’s hard to be a fake New Yorker,” they said.View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shop Cats (@shopcatsshow)The kickoff with KikiDrew Rosenthal, head of production and creative producer at Mad Realities, is admittedly not a New York native.But as someone with three cats, including one fittingly named Meme, he felt he needed to do the city, and its felines, “justice.”Advertisement He filmed a “test shoot” for the show with Kiki, who calls his local bodega in Brooklyn hom...