Grumpy Cat will star in a Lifetime Christmas movie

LOS ANGELES, June 11 (UPI) -- Lifetime, the network best known for mawkish movies about women in distress, has gone off book with an upcoming holiday film starring a celebrity cat.

Grumpy Cat, whose real name is Tardar Sauce, will star in a Lifetime movie called Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever.

"It brings fun and irreverence that we haven't had at Lifetime," Arturo Interian, Lifetime's vice president of original movies, told The Hollywood Reporter. "We're so known for our heartfelt sentimentality that it will poke fun at those stereotypes."

Grumpy Cat's surly facial expression made her a popular Internet meme back in 2012. She's got her own social media accounts and makes occasional television appearances.

Tardar Sauce will play a pet-store cat who's ignored by the 12-year-old girl who can communicate with her.