Some who know Gonzo the cat might say he’s a weirdo.
That’s because, for Gonzo, one’s man’s trash is this cat’s treasure.
Gonzo loves to hop and bop around town searching for the perfect “present” to bring back to his dad Derek.
Those presents usually consist of pieces of trash he finds around the neighborhood.
“He’s never brought anything home except trash,” his dad Derek told The Dodo. “He really feels that he needs to bring us stuff.”
According to PetMD, this is typical cat behavior. Some cats will bring their parents toys in an effort to get their parents to play with them.
Other cats will bring their owners tiny animals like a mouse or a bird that are dead or alive.
Or they’ll bring items like leaves or other items they find in the house or outside. This can be an attempt to get affection, praise, or attention from their owners, according to PetMD.
Derek started getting discarded plastic cups, flowers pots filled with dried-up flowers, and all sorts of other plastic scraps and other garbage Gonzo found in this neighborhood.
Derek became curious and wanted to know where Gonzo was getting all these things from and what he encountered on his travels.
So, he built a tiny camera to go around Gonzo’s collar so he could see what his little buddy was up to.
“There were some days where he’d come back with like 10 trash gifts and he’d just meow every few minutes as you’re trying to get work done,” Derek recalls. “He’s brought home hundreds of trash gifts now at this point.”
Watching the footage from Gonzo’s camera allows them to witness Gonzo’s adventures.
Like meeting some baby possums.
The gentle Gonzo who loves to be social just chilled out with them for a bit.
They also got to see Gonzo’s love interest. A cat named Simone that is a bit older and totally not interested in Gonzo in that way.
She’ll let Gonzo come close, but not too close.
She likes to have her space. Poor little Gonzo just really wants to connect with her.
“One of his first interactions with her that we caught on camera was him trying to bring her a trash gift,” Derek said.
Unfortunately, for now, Gonzo is in the friend zone when it comes to his relationship with Simone though it doesn’t seem like he plans on giving up trying.
Derek says he has learned a lot while observing Gonzo’s treasure hunting adventures and attempts to make new friends.
“The best part has been learning about him and being able to connect deeper with him in a unique way,” Derek said. “He’s a special cat. He’s very sweet.”
Gonzo’s silly and sweet antics were viewed almost 3 million times on YouTube. He also has a TikTok page which you can find here.
“This is the most wholesome thing I’ve ever watched. Looking at the world from Gonzo’s innocent perspective framed by his baby chin hair is the sweetest thing. Animals are such innocent and precious beings with so much more social capacity than we credit them for,” wrote one YouTube commentor.
Watch Gonzo’s video below.
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