I hope this is allowed here. I just want to gush about my little girl, Astro, for a minute.

She is a year and half old. I got her from PetSmart last year after my previous cat, Lily, passed away at 19 years old (the animals at PetSmart come from a local shelter, at least at my local one). For the first 3 months, she hid constantly. You would not even know there was a cat in this house if it weren’t for all the cat toys & accessories all over the place. I was patient with her though and one night while I was playing GTA Online with my friend, she walked up to me, purring her heart out and started rubbing against my leg. We’ve been best buds ever since.

I’ve had a several cats over the years but this little girl has so much personality I can hardly believe it. She’s a bit of a troll sometimes (she loves to come into the office when I’m working and start knocking stuff over to get my attention) but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You know how most cats are food motivated? Like, they lead you to their bowl in the morning and constantly act like they’re starving. Not Astro. She won’t even taste human food. She eats her kibble throughout the day and enjoys treats but is 100% motivated by play time. On days where I work from home, she hangs out in my office with me and is either napping in her chair or looking out the window. The moment I get off work and go out into the living room though, she starts ZOOMING BOY!

If I’m in the living room and doing anything other than giving her attention, she will sit in front of me, staring and meowing because she wants to play. If I ignore her, she will get on her hind legs and put her front paws on my leg. If I continue ignoring her, she will nip my arm lol. The second I pick up her wand toy she squats down and does the little butt wiggle before chasing it.

It’s honestly a bit much because I like to play video games in the evening so I bought her some automatic toys. I got her a ball that rolls around on it’s own and another wand toy that I can attach to a doorframe. She also has a bunch of fuzzy balls and a little tunnel to run through. I’ve set them up next to her cat tree in a way that’s like she has her own little playroom. So now while I’m playing my games, she’s on the other side of the living room playing her game.

Every day, at some point, I pick her up and hold her for a good 10 minutes or so. She is always purring. At night, I often fall asleep in my recliner watching a movie and she will sleep between my legs (as in the first picture). When I move to the bed, she follows me and sleeps on top of my butt or hip depending on how I’m laying. Sometimes, I fall asleep alone and wake up with her snuggled up with me underneath the covers.

When I come home from work or after visiting my friends/family overnight, she is just over the moon. She gets the zoomies, rolls around on the floor, meow meow meow, the works. I feel bad saying it because my last cat was the sweetest thing ever and I adored her but Astro is the coolest pet I’ve ever had. She makes me laugh multiple times a day and keeps things interesting.

Sorry for the novel but I’m sure my friends and coworkers are getting a bit tired of hearing about her but y’all are my people, I know you will understand. Tell me about your cats! What are some interesting things that they do? What do you love/hate about them? Give me your own novel about your cat if you wish!