Princess Monster Truck

2013Celebrity animal / viral photosemi-active

Published March 31, 2026

Also known as: Monster · PMT

Princess Monster Truck is a black Persian cat with a severely deformed lower jaw that gives her a dramatic underbite and visible fangs. Found on the streets of Brooklyn in 2012 by artists Tracy Timmons and Joseph Bryce, the cat blew up on the internet in May 2013 after her dedicated Instagram account caught the attention of BuzzFeed, racking up hundreds of thousands of views in days. Her unusual appearance and heartwarming rescue story made her one of the breakout internet cats of 2013.

catsanimal memesaccidental fame memesrescue animal memesbuzzfeed memes

Overview

Princess Monster Truck, a female Persian cat born with a jaw deformity that causes a pronounced underbite, leaving two fangs permanently visible beneath her upper lip. Her all-black fur, wide eyes, and protruding teeth give her a look that's equal parts adorable and unsettling. Despite the fierce appearance, she's a timid indoor cat who, according to her owners, hates going outside and won't even set foot on the roof1.

The name "Princess Monster Truck" captures the cat's dual nature perfectly: a delicate rescue animal that looks like she could bite through sheet metal.

Origin & Background

Platform
Instagram (dedicated account), BuzzFeed (viral spread)
Key People
Tracy Timmons, Joseph Bryce
Date
2013

Tracy Timmons and Joseph Bryce, both New York City-based artists living in Brooklyn, found Princess Monster Truck by accident one night while walking home from dinner. The cat came tumbling out of a bush, matted, thin, and hungry1. Because she was all black and it was dark out, they didn't get a full look at her face right away. When the cat finally looked up and let out what Timmons described as "a really weird howl/meow," Timmons shrieked and asked "What is it?"1.

They decided to take her home. Timmons later brought the cat to a vet, who, after reportedly laughing at the sight of her, confirmed the jaw condition was a birth defect common in Persian breeds1. Timmons started posting photos to her personal Instagram account on December 12, 20123. On April 9, 2013, Timmons and Bryce launched a dedicated Instagram account at @princessmonstertruck3.

How It Spread

The big break came on May 7, 2013, when BuzzFeed published a photo compilation of Princess Monster Truck on their animal vertical1. The post hit 375,000 views and over 67,000 Facebook likes within a week3. That same day, photos from the BuzzFeed piece were reposted to the Tumblr blog Pussykatzen, where they picked up more than 9,100 notes in the same timeframe3.

Over the next three days, Princess Monster Truck was featured across a wave of sites including Pleated Jeans, Uproxx, Laughing Squid, People Pets, Buzz Patrol, AOL On, and Catster3. Pleated Jeans called her "a Persian with an incredibly fierce underbite" and told readers to "bask in her glory"2. On May 9, a photo landed on Reddit's r/Pics subreddit, picking up over 300 upvotes3. By May 13, 2013, the dedicated Instagram account had passed 8,100 followers3.

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