Last Updated on April 14, 2026 by admin
Near Talos Square in Chania, Crete, there is a cat the size of a small ottoman. She is black and white. She does not move for anyone.
Her name, according to the internet, is Chonkus Maximus — Latin-adjacent for “the greatest chonk” — and until recently, she was the highest-rated attraction in the city.
Not the highest-rated cat. The highest-rated attraction. Period.
Chonkus Maximus started out as a stray on the streets of Chania. Nobody knows exactly when she claimed her preferred stretch of sidewalk near Kanari Beach, but at some point, tourists started noticing her. Then photographing her. Then posting her on TikTok.
Then someone pinned her location on Google Maps.
Within weeks, the listing had over 500 five-star reviews. Visitors described her as a “must-see destination,” a “legend,” and an “absolute unit.” One reviewer said she was the highlight of their trip to Greece.
For context: the Samaria Gorge — one of Europe’s longest canyons and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — holds a 4.8 out of 5 on Google. Balos Lagoon, the turquoise postcard beach every travel influencer has photographed, sits at 4.7.
Chonkus Maximus had a perfect five.
Her daily routine, by all accounts, involved lying in approximately one spot, accepting snacks from strangers, and regarding the world with the calm authority of someone who knows they are the main character. Tourists brought treats. Tour guides pointed her out. She had a fan-run community website and a TikTok account before most local businesses in Chania did.
Then it went sideways.
The snacks were the problem. Tourists, eager to get a photo with Crete’s most famous resident, fed her whatever they had — cheap packaged food, table scraps, convenience store leftovers. The love was real. The nutrition was not. Her weight climbed from magnificently chonky to medically concerning.
The crowds wore on her too. She started hiding under parked cars. She ducked behind rocks. And in one spectacular moment, she climbed a tree to get away from the paparazzi — and couldn’t get back down.
The fire department came.
Google, meanwhile, removed her listing entirely, suspecting the flood of five-star reviews were bots. Fans launched a petition to get it restored.
On the ground in Chania, the organization SAVE Animals Chania stepped in. Volunteer Leda Sifodaskalaki helped locate Chonkus Maximus after she vanished, showing signs of dehydration and stress. She was taken to a veterinary clinic for treatment.
Today, Chonkus Maximus is retired.
She lives with a family who adopted her — far from the tourist traffic, the camera phones, and the infinite supply of gas station salami. She’s on a proper diet. She has a quiet yard. And by all indications, she has returned to her default setting: lying in approximately one spot, regarding the world with calm authority.
The only difference is that now, nobody’s trying to pin her on a map.
What’s the chonkiest cat in your neighborhood? Tell us below. 🐱