“Oh my God there’s a bear in my backyard!” Chris exclaims in shock, but wait, it’s not a bear, it’s just Naptime in her fancy fur-mes puffer jacket.
This little ball of fur lays at Chris’s feet, purring and begging for pets with her cute eyes.
“Everybody loves you,” he insists as he scratches her chin, and she sprawls on her back in pure joy.
Chris has befriended over 150 cats in the neighborhood, including Snickers, Cow Mary, and of course, Naptime.
But it’s not just cats that Chris has won over, the neighborhood is full of furry friends, from dogs to squirrels, and even a spare chicken he likes to visit.
As he walks through the streets, neighbors start to recognize him as the “cat guy” and often stop to say hello and introduce him to their pets.
“It really happens organically,” Chris explains. “Cats just want to hang out with me.” And it’s no surprise, considering Chris’s love for animals stems from his childhood.
His family always owned cats, and as a pet lover, he always wanted one to call his own.
But when he moved to the neighborhood, he realized that there were already plenty of cats that needed some love and attention.
One cat, in particular, changed Chris’s life. He found a scraggly alley cat one day who was so skinny and skittish.
With time and patience, the cat let him pick him up, and he just got on Chris’s shoulder and started purring.
“Oh my God, I have to take this cat home,” Chris thought.
Named King Scampurr, he’s now the king of the house and even has a portrait of him in a regal outfit.
Chris loves all of King Scampurr’s quirks, from laying on a heating pad in front of the fireplace to running up to him as soon as he sits down because he knows he has a lap to lay on.
He does get a little jealous, though, when Chris has been visiting all the other kitties in the neighborhood.
So Chris will even change his clothes if other cats have been rubbing up against his legs.
As Chris says, “All of our friends we met through cats,” and it’s clear that his love for animals has brought joy not only to him but to the entire neighborhood.
Who knows, maybe one day you’ll spot Chris walking around with a furry friend on his shoulder or meeting a new four-legged pal.
Just don’t mistake them for a bear!
