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NPR unmasks cat-obsessed 'Ramona' from accidental Facebook post

By Ben Hooper
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Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Fans of NPR's official Facebook page have become enthralled with the saga of "Ramona," an apparent cat whose exploits were detailed in an accidental post.

A post to the Facebook page on Monday immediately grabbed the attention of followers for its unusual content, which described the peculiar behavior of "Ramona."

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The post read:

"Ramona is given new toy: Smiles, examines for 20 seconds, discards.

Ramona gets a hug: Acquiesces momentarily, squirms to be put down.

Ramona sees three cats 30 feet away: Immediately possessed by shrieking, spasmodic joy that continues after cats flee for their lives."

The post was edited moments later to explain: "EDIT: This post was intended for a personal account. We apologize for the error."

The post captured the imaginations of readers, with many demanding more information on Ramona and requesting photos of what many assumed to be a feline.

Ramona's fans included the Houston Zoo, which tweeted: "How's #Ramona this morning? Asking for a friend. #friendsofRamona."

NPR responded to the Ramona fandom Tuesday, revealing the accidental post was the work of swing editor Christopher Dean Hopkins.

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"We don't generally delete posts, so I tried to do it in a way that would be transparent," Hopkins said. "My job is to promote our good work, and I catastrophically failed in that last night."

Hopkins had a shocking revelation for fans: Ramona is not a cat, but rather his cat-obsessed infant daughter.

"But here's the news everybody really wants to know: Ramona is not a cat! But Ramona does have a cat. You're welcome, Interwebz!" NPR said.

NPR and Hopkins did not rule out future Ramona updates.

"I suppose if people keep promising to pledge to NPR and it doesn't distract from the very good work our NPR journalists do, we'll see," Hopkins said.

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