Published Feb 7, 2025
We all know how cats are. You offer them beds, blankets, and even your own furniture to sleep on, but they still want to lay in inconvenient places. For the employees at Gravity Climbing Gym, this meant trying–and failing–to get a sassy stray cat off of the laptop at the reception desk as customers waited to be checked in.
Inviting herself inside
It all started during a nighttime climbing session. One employee watched as Bety the stray cat walked in from the streets and made herself at home, denying all attempts at petting her with her feisty paw smacks.
Since they were pretty sure that Bety didn’t have an owner, the gym employees continued letting her in, feeding her, and leaving her cozy beds to sleep in. While Bety did warm up to some people, she’s still selective about when she’ll allow pets and from whom.
Becoming the queen
A member of the gym’s staff shared, “There are people from the staff who can pet her some days, and some days it’s just impossible,” adding that Bety is the queen of the gym.
She likes some adults, especially those she associates with food. Despite living the good life now with plenty of cat food and treats, Bety will try to climb on people as they eat or even steal food from their hands. Staff say that she’ll follow you anywhere for a snack and that sharing food is the fastest way to win her heart.
When Bety likes someone, she’ll cozy up to them and even allows chin scratches. Usually, these people are adults. Bety seems gentler with children and doesn’t bat at them, but she’d generally prefer they leave her alone.
The dogs who enter the gym are usually calm or playful, rather than combative toward the resident cat. However, Bety doesn’t want anything to do with dogs either, seeming ready to fight as soon as she spots one. She’d likely prefer it if this pet-friendly gym were feline-only!
Bety’s rise to fame
The memorable event that helped Bety’s rise to fame happened when she laid down on the laptop at Gravity’s reception desk. Despite there being three to four people in line, Bety wouldn’t let the receptionist check them in. Instead, she kept rolling over, hissing, and swiping at the receptionist’s hands. She wouldn’t accept being moved from her warm, cozy spot on the keyboard.
The staff filmed her theatrics, letting customers and potential receptionists alike know about Bety’s behavior and what staff had to deal with from their sassy cat. Finally, Bety did stand and strut away, sitting in an angry pose on the reception counter.
You might think denying access to customers would be bad for business, but people began to look for Bety during their climbing sessions. Despite her finicky nature, they enjoyed seeing her, trying to pet her, and having her sit in on their climbing sessions.
You can see more of Bety and her shenanigans on her very own Instagram page or on Gravity’s social media.
