Levchyk the cat went from living on the streets of a western Ukrainian city to winning a spot in the mayor’s office — and rose to internet fame in the process.
The city of Lviv welcomed its so-called “cat mayor” in fall 2020 after the stray was rescued from a tree near City Hall. It wasn’t long before Mayor Andriy Sadovyi’s office created a social media presence for the new official.
The brown tabby cat, whose name is the diminutive form of “lion” in Ukrainian, now posts TikTok videos that get hundreds of thousands of views. The “cat mayor” enjoys similar attention on Instagram.
The high-ranking cat regularly posts videos and photos where he meets other officials or plays in the office.
During his time in office he has already met with the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, welcomed the Belgian delegation and was embraced by the acting U.S. ambassador.
Levchyk’s Instagram account also collaborates with the city’s veterinary clinic which helps find homes for stray animals.
When he’s not busy carrying out his official duties, Levchyk does what all cats love to do: chases his tail, sleeps on the mayor’s documents and poses for memes.
