For the past two months, have you noticed cat posters around campus? Perhaps it was placed above a trash can, or stuck onto a lamp post outside the kopitiam? You may have seen it elsewhere. Perhaps the cat’s welcoming smile was plastered on the electrical box while you descended the escalator at the SS15 LRT station? Whether or not you’ve seen the poster prior to this, it sure has stirred some attention amongst students in Sunway. The adorable orange cat, shining an inoffensive and polite smile to all passers-by has shown remarkable success in not just attracting attention, but in sharing a much more heartwarming purpose to those who stopped to take a photo. Luckily, to answer all the questions you may have, Echo has managed to interview the person behind this idea to discuss all about the cat poster phenomenon.
For every person that did manage to spot the poster, most will take a selfie and send it to the anonymous university student behind the scenes, who’s busy compiling all the submissions for an Instagram reel. His name is Lee with the Instagram handle @chaoswithaplan1, currently studying Event Management. He wishes to stay anonymous to keep his identity a secret and have his projects feel mysterious. It all started during October, when he started to put up posters around Subang Jaya in an effort to recreate a project of Anthony Po, who put up a cat poster and invited passersby to snap a photo with it.
If you’ve never heard of Anthony Po, you might know his works through clips of a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest back in October 2024. That’s right, he organised that event that managed to gather thousands of fans and encourage attendees to vote for the imitation of the major star, who is well known for his role as Paul Atreides in Dune and Willy Wonka in Wonka. The event was such a huge success that even the real Timothée Chalamet paid a visit while lying low in casual clothing. Anthony Po is a YouTuber well known for his comedic skits and community engaging videos. His content focuses on doing random acts on the streets, and most importantly, putting up posters to invite total strangers to be a part of his videos.
Lee was inspired by Anthony to do just what he included in his Instagram account bio, which is to “bring people together”. He planned the project over the span of a few months, and finally took the initiative to do so 2 months ago. He put up numerous posters on street poles, walls and even electric boxes, encouraging people to take a picture with this lovely orange cat and sending it to the email address attached.
Poster seen at the electric box in front of SS15 LRT Station Entrance B
However, Lee didn’t just replicate what Anthony had done, but he went a step further and promised to reply to every single email that was sent to him. When asked about why he thought of doing so even though it was time-consuming, this is what he said: “I just wanted to spread happiness and positivity, because I realised that people, including myself, do face certain challenges or feel down in life. So, I can’t say for sure that I can help every single person to feel better with what I do, but if I could just get even 1 person to cheer up because of my text, I’ll feel very happy.”
What followed after was more than a shock to Lee as more than 800 pictures flooded his email. He expressed surprise that the general public seemed to like his project, far exceeding his original estimation of 300 to 500 respondents. It’s worth noting that while writing this article, he has posted 3 short-form videos which contain up to 500 submissions of selfies taken. These videos collectively amassed a total of 156 thousand views on Instagram and 4.6 thousand likes on RedNote, which most likely contributed to the boost in participation around late October until early November.
Though this project seems like a total success, it didn’t all come by that easily. Lee noted that manpower was limited, having only him and a few more friends putting up and taking down posters around the area. What’s surprising is that not all posters were being taken down voluntarily, a notable example being the poster at SS15. “I think the location [of the poster] was too visible, and so they just took it down,” he said while clarifying that an unknown third party has removed certain posters much against his wishes. He explained that he even wanted to do something different from Anthony, having considered changing the cat into other animals, but to him, not any other animal had the same attractiveness or the capability to attract the attention of people compared to adorable felines.
As Lee started removing the posters around mid November, he ended the project by leaving motivational cards at remote spots across university campuses, having shown its presence at Sunway, Taylors, INTI and even Universiti Malaya. “I didn’t want to interact with people just through text [email responses] only, I wanted something that you could touch and feel, a kind and warming gesture that an anonymous person can do for you. I want to let people know that someone out there, though not with you physically, still cares about you.”
Cards placed next to vending machine at Brain Forest, Sunway College
Turns out this isn’t the first time Lee has organised a community event, as you can tell by his first ever post on his Instagram account. Back in July, he collaborated with a cafe in Bukit Bintang to hold a Khalil Fong listening party. He attracted the attention of fans by putting up posters. “I thought that people would be interested in this event, and I wanted to commemorate this artist as well.” The event had fans singing along to the artist’s songs projected on a screen, as well as a performer putting up his best songs with a guitar performance. The event ended well, with many attendees sharing that they had a good time at the event, being able to bond with other fans of the beloved Mandopop artist.
The compassion that Lee has for forging an intimate bond amongst humans is actually the reason he chose to study Event Management. “I really like to see people smile, and even though I can’t help them to be happy all the time, if what I do with these interactions could make them feel happier for just a moment when they’re feeling down, I feel very satisfied with that outcome.” His intentions to bring people together to celebrate the small things in life and to persevere through hard times is truly a commendable act. “I just want to mention to people to look around, to observe your surroundings and you’ll find lots of surprises. Rather than looking at your phone all the time, maybe you’ll find something interesting when you start going out and touch some grass.”
To the curious fans that want to know what else Lee has planned as his next project, he answered with slight hesitance, “I’m not so sure about my next project, because I’m going to be busy, but I’m still planning it. I’ll still do it very secretly, but it’s related to Christmas.” That’s right, a project related to the festive season at the end of the year. He confirmed that the project is set in motion, and that he’s been promoting it as of writing this. Whether or not you manage to spot his new project, it’s always a reminder to spend quality time with those you cherish most during the holidays.
This cat poster project is something more than just a ‘clickbait’ idea meant to garner popularity. Instead, it encompasses a desire for people to really get together through small acts and to remind people of what it means to be in a community: real life interaction. With social media now becoming a central part of how people form relationships, we forget that it’s the acts of friendship, words of encouragement, and the feeling of being understood that could only be achieved in real life: These things are what we live for. There is more to life than our phones, than the algorithm that determines your exposure to media and becomes one’s representation of self worth for some, than the opinions of those online users that you will never meet. Organic, unfiltered interactions like what Lee is helping to foster is such a valuable and essential step to help one another through times of need. This is especially relevant when one in six people experiencing loneliness according to WHO.
All card designs by Lee
Lee’s intentions are simple and genuine – to spread happiness and support. Remember to take good care of yourself despite what life throws at you. Everyone deserves a helping hand to keep you afloat when things get tough, and please believe that someone out there will always be rooting for you. Should you feel like you need someone to hear you out, please do contact a person that you trust, whether it be your parents, friends, or even on-campus counselling unit. Even as the light of hope flickers, one will pull through as long as it doesn’t go out. Just like what Lee wrote in one of the cards: “Keep smiling, not because everything’s perfect, but because you’re still trying.”
Written by: Jia Yu
Edited by: Sarah
