Neuty the Nutria, the Jefferson Parish rodent who became a local celebrity when his owners were involved in a dispute with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to keep him in their home, has died.
Neuty succumbed to cancer on Saturday after short battle. He was six-years-old.
The Bucktown nutria was a social media star, amassing 37,000 followers in Instagram. According to the profile, Neuty's owners rescued him when he was a baby and nursed him on cat's milk until he was old enough to eat vegetables.
In 2023, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries attempted to take Neuty into custody, saying his owners violated a state law prohibiting anyone from having a wild animal as a pet. After several state leaders, including Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Metairie Senator Cameron Henry, LDWF allowed Neuty to remain with his owners, granting them a permit to keep Neuty.
"We could go on & on about the joy and happiness Neuty has brought too many lives four or 5 1/2 years," his owners said in the Instagram post announcing Neuty's death. "We were so lucky to share in all of these good times with him, he was always perfectly behaved, loved all the kids & would be surrounded by 30 little kids & was never bothered by all the petting from them. We tried so hard to fight his cancer, but it was too aggressive & spread too quickly. He was active & not in pain through the last three months. The day before his passing, there was a change in his personality, we knew when the day came that he was not talking to his daddy anymore, it would not be long for him."
Neuty was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. The announcement led to an outpouring of support from his fans--support Neuty's humans said they were grateful to have.
"We want to thank everyone who has sent him gifts and cards over the last three months, from fans all over the country!" the Instagram post read. "We are heartbroken and miss him terribly & will continue to miss him, but will never forget the great times we shared with him, he literally made us laugh every single day."
