Photo of Kitten Eating McDonald's Goes Viral Amid Boycott Calls

A long-circulated meme of a kitten eating a McDonald's french fry has gone viral on social media, amid a continued boycott of the fast-food chain.

The burger giant is one of several multinational corporations to be feeling the effects of international boycotts as Israel's conflict with Hamas continues. After Israel was hit with a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, both sides have been locked in a war.

Public support has been divided, with some supporting Israel, while others back the Palestinian people. Many have also long called for a ceasefire.

McDonald's and coffee chain Starbucks were two of the hardest hit by boycotts. In the fast-food chain's case, the boycott campaign began after local franchises started offering free meals to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, promoted in a social-media blitz in October. Earlier this month, CEO Chris Kempczinski said that McDonald's took a financial hit amid the boycotts, especially in its Middle Eastern markets.

The fast-food chain's continued PR nightmare saw it become a talking point on X, formerly Twitter. The meme account @Catsillyness shared a years-old meme of a cat eating a single french fry out of a distinctive red McDonald's box.

As of press time, the post has been viewed more than 10.5 million times. While many X users commented on the heartwarming nature of the image, others pointed to the ongoing McDonald's boycott.

"Stupid a** cat there is a boycott going on," wrote one X user in a tongue-in-cheek response. "Girl the boycott," commented another.

"The cat forgot [there] was a boycott," wrote a third X user, while another added: "Kitty no!! You gotta boycott this evil corp!!"

In a recent post on LinkedIn, McDonald's CEO Kempczinski said of the boycott: "Several markets in the Middle East and outside the region are experiencing a meaningful business impact due to the war and associated misinformation that is affecting brands like McDonald's.

"This is disheartening and ill-founded. In every country where we operate, including in Muslim countries, McDonald's is proudly represented by local owner operators who work tirelessly to serve and support their communities while employing thousands of their fellow citizens. That local community connection is the genius of the McDonald's System," Kempczinski added.

Most McDonald's restaurants are run by franchisees globally. But Middle East locations are "part of the company's international developmental licensed markets division, which generates about 10 percent of the company's revenue," per Bloomberg.

Kempczinski previously spoke about the Israel-Hamas war in October when he said he was "deeply disturbed by the acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia" in a message that was widely reported in the media.