Whenever it’s nice outside, John and Alex Sanders love leaving their door open so they can enjoy the weather. One day about six months ago, they were relaxing inside with the door wide open when out of nowhere, a cat walked in, said hello to them and made himself right at home.
“He just walked in like he owned the place,” John Sanders told The Dodo.
John Sanders
The couple checked the cat’s tag, discovered his name was Tigger and contacted his family. They found out that Tigger lived one street over from them and was quite the neighborhood explorer. Tigger was reunited with his family and the couple figured that was that — but Tigger had other plans.
“He came back the next day and every day since,” Sanders said.
John Sanders
Now, Tigger visits his new best friends every single day, usually at least twice a day, and often comes back for sleepovers as well. His actual family has pretty much accepted that Tigger is going to do whatever he wants, and for some reason, he’s chosen the Sanderses as his second family.
John Sanders
“Tig’s self-appointed schedule is as follows: It used to be just at night between 9-11 p.m., and stay the night. Alex would let him out when she would go get coffee,” Sanders said. “Now that we’re home during COVID, he visits between 12-2, 4-6, and still comes back overnight. There are days where we don’t see him, but that’s rare. We usually see him twice a day without fail.”
John Sanders
At first, the couple tried to train Tigger to go home to his family at night, but eventually they gave up and decided just to let Tigger sleep over whenever he wanted. Even when the door is closed, they’re always listening for the sound of Tigger’s meow so they can be ready to let him inside whenever he arrives.
John Sanders
“His parents have said Tig really just does what he wants and he has chosen us,” Sanders said. “They have said they are just happy that he’s warm and safe and not wandering the streets.”
John Sanders
The couple has no idea why Tigger has chosen them and keeps sneaking over to their house for sleepovers and hang sessions, but frankly, they’re pretty happy about it. They love Tigger so much and he’s basically a part of their family now, and Tigger wouldn’t have it any other way.