Published Dec 29, 2024
@LOTFWTLOML / TikTok.com
Like the signs at the baggage claim warn us, many bags look alike, so double check to make sure it’s yours. And cats are like suitcases in this regard, as one Kansas family discovered in a Christmas tree snafu!
According to the Newsweek article, a woman named Jacqueline had been putting up her Christmas tree with her husband and sat down for a break when they saw a black and white cat lounging in front of the living room TV. They assumed it was their cat, Archer. But Jacqueline busts up laughing when she realizes that it wasn’t their black and white cat: It was an interloper!
“We just put the tree up and sat down to relax for a few minutes when I looked over and noticed that the cat by the tree was the neighbor’s cat – not one of ours,” Jacqueline, who only gave her first name, told Newsweek.
In a 6-second TikTok video posted December 15 – a video that has been watched more than a half million times and has earned more than 49,000 hearts – Jacqueline laughs hard as the cat, oblivious to her, stretches out in front of the TV set next to the twinkling Christmas tree. Text on the video says: “We just noticed the cat in front of the Christmas Tree isn’t ours …”
The feline intruder wasn’t a stranger, though. It was the neighbor’s cat, Socks, whom Jacqueline and her husband call “Spotface.” The cat often visits their property – a 20-acre farm in Kansas with many animals – because he likes their dogs.
Spotface looks a lot like Archer, one of the couple’s two cats; the other one is a Ragdoll named Ollie. Imagine the surprise of seeing what you think is your cat in your house, and discovering it is actually a lookalike!
The comments from viewers of the video are both funny and sweet. Many say something like the cat is a Christmas gift from Santa, and that the cat has claimed the family as his. One TikTok user advised the visiting cat to blend in and act normal, and maybe nobody will notice.
“Oh you didn’t know Secret Santa specified CATS this year,” one user wrote. “Merry Christmas.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “Just got yourself a new follower because I want to know what happens to your new cat Lol. Merry Christmas to you and your family.”
Someone else wrote: “Cat distribution system is working. Probably came IN the tree. Lol.”
Yet as much as this story may seem to be a Christmas miracle of a homeless cat serendipitously finding his family, Jacqueline clarifies that Spotface already has one. Still, the couple fed the cute intruder and had a good laugh before he went home.
Nonetheless, when a cat shows up at your house or crosses your path – especially on a special occasion – and it appears to be a stray who wants your care, why not take it as a divine sign once you’ve ruled out that the cat has a caring owner? Cats have a way of choosing their people and showing up just when they need us, and we need them, the most.
Case in point: A Pennsylvania optician found a stray cat with one kitten at a church camp. She took the mother and tuxedo kitten home. Now, Truffles the kitten is an adult cat who works as a mascot at a pediatric optical practice! She wears her own cat glasses and is called the “Children’s Glasses Assistant.” That sounds like a definite meant-to-be meet cute between a human and animal.
On New Year’s Eve, keep an eye out for a cat inviting itself to your party. It may be a funny story like Jacqueline’s about a neighbor’s cat – or, it could be your new best friend.
