Diego, the fluffy, much-loved grey-and-white longhair cat who spends his days lounging around various shops in the Skeifan strip mall in Reykjavík, was hit by car on Friday and suffered serious injuries, Vísir reports. The unfortunate kitty was taken to a veterinary hospital and underwent surgery that same day.
Diego has a home and owners, but on most days can be found lolling about atop the printer paper in the stationary store A4, padding through the Hagkaup department store, or even dropping in for a slice at Domino’s. In a country of dedicated cat lovers, Diego has been said to be Iceland’s most famous cat. Fans are known to make special trips to Skeifan just to try and spot Diego and a Facebook group in his honor has over 9,500 members.
According to a post on the group on Friday, Diego suffered torn muscles and ligaments in the accident, as well as a bag wound on one leg. He underwent surgery and was to be kept in the animal hospital overnight. Shortly after news of his accident went public, A4 started collecting donations to help pay for Diego’s medical bills. A total of ISK 400,000 [$2,838; €2,725] was collected for Diego’s owners, with A4 and Domino’s both donating ISK 100,000 each [$709; €681].
This article was updated.
