An Omaha stay-at-home mom becomes internet fame thanks to her CANCER pet Howie

The Nebraska mom has become internet famous thanks to her pet rainbow crab, Howie, who she claims can smile and use sign language.

“I think people love her the way I love her,” said owner Laura Porter Omaha World-Herald this week of her cancer friend. Med Tik Tok and Instagram, Howie has approximately 600,000 followers. Her videos reach millions of views.

Porter told the newspaper that editing Howie’s videos is now a full-time job. She said the first video she made with Howie, showing her cleaning the shell of bacteria with a toothbrush, had six million views.

The crafty influencer also donned a series of hats for Howie to humanize her, with many arachnophobes saying the clawed sea creature looked too much like a giant spider for their liking.

In a December question-and-answer session with fans on TikTok, Porter said she bought Howie at a pet store in 2016 and that her daughter named the crab after the America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandeldespite Howie being a female with claws.

The family brought in Howie, part of a species known as cardisoma armatum, which is common in the wild in West Africa, after their daughter died. The family even bought Howie a 55-gallon aquarium to live in.

Laura Porter bought her pet crab Howie for her daughter in 2016, and now the crab is a social media star

Howie’s first video, showing Porter cleaning his shell with a toothbrush, has garnered six million views

Porter said this week that “the world went crazy” when she started putting Howie in a hamster ball and letting him roll around the house.

Porter described how he taught Howie to high-five and said the crab did it voluntarily while its claws were stroked.

Many of Howie’s thousands of followers refer to Porter’s cat, Siren, as her “nemesis.” Porter even told the World-Herald that the crab has pinched the cat in the past.

Porter also said that her beloved pet’s favorite snacks are peanut butter and cheese sandwiches, and that she feeds Howie high-calorie foods to help him achieve his “best health.”

When asked by a fan what foods Howie can’t eat, Porter said: ‘I avoid chocolate, fruit stones, pickled foods, spicy peppers and onions.’

In her World-Herald interview, Porter explained that Howie also enjoys meatloaf. She went on to say that ‘the world went crazy’ when she started putting Howie in a hamster ball and letting him roll around the house.

“I lost count of the time she put on her makeup. Howie has actually reached the largest size of her species for her gender,” Porter told Howie’s followers in December.

Howie on a walk in his Omaha neighborhood with his owner

Porter described how he taught Howie to high-five and said the crab did it voluntarily while its claws were stroked.

Porter said that when Howie is scared, the crab will run to his owner and that he enjoys watching TV

When asked by a fan what foods Howie can’t eat, Porter said: “I avoid chocolate, fruit stones, sour foods, spicy peppers and onions.”

Molting is the process in which crabs shed their shells and start growing new ones. Howie molts twice a year. Crayfish like Howie are prone to shell rot and most live longer than five years in captivity.

“They can die from molting. Molting is a very, extremely delicate process where her mandibles, intestines and stomach lining grow back, and if she doesn’t separate from the molt properly, she will die. The last molt was very successful and I’m very happy, Porter added.

Although Porter joked that “right before she molts, she gets really vulnerable.”

Porter told the World-Herald that she has taught Howie how to tap his mouth when he is hungry, and that they are working on more sign language, and that the crab “tolerates” hats that are taped to its shell with medical tape.

She said that when Howie is scared, the crab will run to his owner and that he enjoys watching TV.

“I can pick her up and squeeze her. I can put her on her head. She doesn’t trust anyone else … I’m just trying for her to be as happy and healthy as possible, that’s the right thing to do,” Porter added.