If you grew up glued to MTV in the mid 2000s watching Xzibit hand out ridiculous car upgrades on “Pimp My Ride,” get ready to feel every bit of your age. The rapper and TV host recently shared that his cat, appropriately named Thunder Cat, is still alive and well after nearly two decades by his side. For a lot of longtime fans, that single fact hit harder than any hydraulic-equipped Buick ever did.
Xzibit posted about Thunder Cat on Instagram on July 16, letting followers know he’s had the cat since 2006. Do the math and that means Thunder Cat has been around since the tail end of “Pimp My Ride’s” original run, which aired from 2004 to 2007. The post quickly caught fire online, with millennials doing exactly what millennials do best: collectively panicking about how much time has passed.
The reaction was big enough that Xzibit followed up two days later, on July 18, with another photo of Thunder Cat. He seemed genuinely caught off guard by how much love his cat was getting, joking that she now had “a battery in her back” from all the attention. It’s the kind of good natured, self aware humor that made him likable on TV in the first place, and it clearly hasn’t faded with time.
Xzibit even reposted the Today Show’s coverage of the story on his own Facebook page, adding that he’d never expected to be featured by a major outlet over his cat rather than his music or television career. Fair enough. Not many of us picture our biggest headline being about a pet’s impressive age either, but here we are, and it’s honestly kind of wonderful.
A Cat Older Than a Lot of Car Enthusiasts’ Daily Drivers
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Twenty years is a long run for any house cat, and it’s an even longer run in car years. Thunder Cat has technically outlasted plenty of vehicles that rolled off “Pimp My Ride” during her lifetime.
Cars rust, transmissions give out, but apparently Thunder Cat just keeps going.
Fans couldn’t help but gush over the Today Show’s IG post. One comment read: “Everything you need to know about a person stems from how they treat animals.” Another person noted: “This is beyond beautiful. I really just have no words how much I love this. I always did like Xzibit.”
Fans Turned a Simple Post Into a Full Nostalgia Trip
Xzibit didn’t set out to start a wave of “Pimp My Ride” nostalgia. He just posted a photo of his cat. But that’s the internet for you.
One picture and suddenly everyone is reminiscing about spinning rims, built-in fish tanks, and the golden era of MTV car makeovers.
Xzibit hasn’t gone into deep detail publicly, but keeping a cat healthy into her twenties generally comes down to the basics: regular vet visits, a good diet, and a comfortable home. Whatever routine he’s followed, it’s clearly working.
For a certain generation, Xzibit will always be tied to that show, and Thunder Cat’s age just reinforced how long ago that era really was. It’s a fun reminder that some things, whether it’s a beloved TV show or a well loved pet, stick with us far longer than we expect.