Snacks, Bethany Cosentino’s Pet Cat and Best Coast Album Cover Star, Has Died

Snacks, Bethany Cosentino’s pet cat and the album artwork star of Best Coast’s debut album Crazy For You, has died. “Said goodbye to my best friend in the entire world today,” tweeted Cosentino. “My true love. My guardian angel. There will never be another one like him.”

“I always knew this day would come, but I hoped it never would,” Cosentino wrote in an Instagram post with multiple photos and videos. “He was not just my cat. He belonged to all of you. He was the third member of this band. Our mascot. Our cover star. Our merch king. He meant everything to me and I’m going to miss him so much, but I know he will live on forever by way of the legacy he created simply by being himself. He loved you all so much and he knew you loved him. 14 wonderful years. I’m so honored that I got to be his mom. I love you forever Snacks. Long live the king.”

Cosentino adopted Snacks, an orange Maine Coon, around the time Best Coast formed. From the band’s debut album Crazy For You and the iconic lyric “I wish my cat could talk” (taken from “Goodbye”) on through to the artwork for their 2021 single “Leading,” he quickly became integral to Best Coast’s public-facing identity.

Over the years, Snacks joined Cosentino for a cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” took part in an online caption contest, was the star of Wavves’ King of the Beach artwork, and earned the admiration of David Letterman. Best Coast also honored Snacks with a replica plush toy, dubbing him “the official mascot of Best Coast” as part of their merch collection.

In 2014, Snacks starred in a PETA2 campaign. “I’ve met a lot of fans that have said to me, ‘I actually adopted a cat or a dog [because of Snacks.]’ People have even told me they’ve named their cats after Snacks,” Cosentino said in the clip. “It’s really cool to feel like this thing that you love so much and are nerdy about loving sometimes is affecting people in a way that’s making them go out and save an animal or making them be more involved with the animal they already have. He really is my son at this point. That’s the thing that is so important about having pets—they really become a part of your family.”