Craigslist: Mom’s Ad For Son’s ‘Unused Cat Toy’ Gets 2,000 Views On ‘Imgur’ — But Is This A Butt Plug Hoax?

The Craigslist ad pictured below is going viral on Imgur. It has received nearly 2,000 views in the six hours that it was posted on the photo-sharing website. The Imgur image is a screenshot of a Craigslist ad, but it might be a big hoax designed by a jokester on Craigslist trying to go viral for some crazy reason. The Craigslist ad purports to be written by an unknowing mom who found what she thought was an “unused cat toy” beneath her son’s bed after he went off to college, and her husband directed her to sell everything. However, the image represents anything but an unused cat toy. Right-clicking on the image and choosing “Search Google for this image” shows that this isn’t a cat toy, but a “wolf tail butt plug” or “tail butt plug,” as it is listed on sites like Etsy.

http://imgur.com/gallery/KXcIXMO

The Craigslist ad reads as follows, with clues therein that hint that this ad wasn’t written by some innocent mom simply trying to get rid of her son’s stuff after a trip to college.

“My son went off to college and while cleaning his room I ran across this old cat toy under his bed. I tried to use it on my cat but I think the catnip wore off because it doesn’t sniff at it any more after I washed it. My husband said to just sell everything that was left. Can return if your cat shows no interest in it or it’s too big for your cat. Thank you.”

The listing shows up under the Portland area of Craigslist, and it’s gaining plenty of attention. The person who shared the Craigslist ad on Imgur wrote that a friend sent them the link to the Craigslist ad, which gave them plenty of chuckles.

“So a friend sent me a link to this Craigslist ad for a cat toy.. Just.. This is too funny.”

If this indeed is a fake ad, as some folks suspect it is, what is the motivation for creating such an ad? Laughs, indeed, but can a person make monetary gains off of viral Imgur images? A search for ways to make money directly via Imgur turned up nil. Imgur itself makes money via their store and likely through other means, so the motivation for creating a fake Craigslist ad that can eventually go viral and appear on the photo-sharing website might not be strictly monetary.

Either way, the condition of the “cat toy” is listed “like new” with “make / manufacturer” claiming to be “Made in China.” But it is the hints like a “size / dimensions” of “Fairly large” and other factors in the Craigslist ad that have some commenting beneath the Imgur photo that this Craigslist wasn’t likely written by a mother who is trying to unload her son’s stuff. The “Unused cat toy” going for $5 contains a post id of 5456156357 and was posted to Craigslist on February 19, at 10:51 p.m.

Those leaving comments beneath the Imgur photo are either calling foul on the Craigslist ad or joking about the ad. Or they are making weird comments about buying the “cat toy.”

“If it’s too big for your cat.” Pfft! She f****** knows.

“Her son was getting some serious tail.”

“I would so buy that for 5 bucks. Sanitize it and it’s good to go.”

Real cat toys appear in the top photo, with the feline toys hanging in a display from CatConLA in Los Angeles.

Folks on Twitter are joking about the “unused cat toy” as well.

[Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP]