Cats usually wear collars for their own identification or to warn unsuspecting birds that a vicious kitty may be on the prowl. However, for one cat, the lovingly named “Rex Manning” (for all you cult movie lovers out there, that’s an Empire Records reference!), his collar was used for an entirely different purpose. It was used to carry a delightful, handwritten note from his neighbor’s house back to his thoroughly perplexed owner.
Emily Crane is Rex’s “human friend” and the recipient of the note in question. Emily is the first to admit that her cat loves people, but little did she know just how far Rex was going in his quest for human affection. According to The Dodo, Emily rescued Rex eight years ago, and he’s never been shy in making new friends.
“He loves attention, especially when it comes with nice, behind the ear scratches,” Emily said. “If they are interested,” she added, referring to her neighbors, “I can tell it makes their day to give a pet to a handsome, social kitty cat.”
“At a rather young age, he started begging to go outside,” Emily continued. She cautiously let the curious cat outside but watched him from an upstairs window, partly to make sure he was safe, and partly out of overwhelming curiosity. Where, exactly, was this kitty so desperate to go?
“I think a lot of people around here are excited to see a friendly kitty,” Emily shared, knowing that Rex would be safe among the welcoming, animal-friendly folk in her neighborhood. But one place in particular seemed to take Rex’s fancy: a red house, nearby.
A note from the neighbors in the red house found itself attached to Rex’s collar one day and was taken home to a very amused Emily. “He pranced inside with it,” Emily recalled, “like he knew that he had a delivery to make.” The note dispelled the mystery of Rex’s neighborhood wanderings once and for all.
“Hello!” the jovial note began. “This is your neighbor in the red house! We just wanted to let you know that Rex has developed a weird love for our bathtub and will sneak into our home to sit in it!” By this point, Emily was already in fits of giggles. “All of us in the house are 100% okay with this because we all love Rex very much,“ the note continued. ”We just want to let you know in case you were wondering where he was one of these days … he’s probably in our bathtub. <3 The Red House.”
Clearly, the wonderful, loving home that Emily had provided wasn’t quite enough for the affection-hungry Rex. “I seriously could not stop laughing when I found the note,” Emily said. “It was adorable!”
Emily hasn’t yet ventured across to the red house to meet her neighbors but found it too irresistible not to jump on the note-writing bandwagon. Emily wrote a sweet note and sent it right back, thanking her neighbors for their love and care.
Naturally, she tucked the note into Rex’s collar before sending the intrepid kitty on his way. “He is definitely a character!” Emily laughed.
What an amazing cat, and what a heartwarming story. Here’s to friendly neighborhoods! Be sure to share this article with all of the cat lovers you know. (Don’t forget your neighbors!)
