Clever Stray Cat's Plan To Get Adopted Works Purr-Fectly

Did you know cats are pretty great problem solvers? These independent creatures sure know how to get what they want, and no moment proves that more than one adorable video posted on YouTube by The Dodo. In it, a stray cat looking to get adopted devises a clever plan to get himself noticed. Or, perhaps more accurately: One clever cat adopts a human.

In the beginning, Bojangles was simply a "random cat" who would stare into Adrian's bedroom window every morning. Then, everything changed. "He used to wait outside my window until I came home, [and I] started letting him in," said Adrian to The Dodo, who would let the cute cat roam around his apartment from time to time. Bojangles wanted to spend more time inside until eventually, he was there constantly.

Adrian posted a cheeky flyer seeking Bojangles' owner that read: "Is this your cat? If so, he's cheating on you." When no one responded to the poster, Adrian decided to officially adopt his new friend. "He's kind of just decided this is where [he's] going to live," said Adrian, who happily welcomed his cunning new family member. And things really have worked out! Adrian's Instagram shows dozens of pictures of a purr-fectly happy Bojangles thriving in his new home.

It's amazing that Bojangles' adoption all started with an initial stare-down (or, as one funny commenter called it, an audit and evaluation). Though funny, it turns out this concept isn't far-fetched; our pet cats have a pretty interesting history in that they actually domesticated themselves! A DNA analysis of cats in a 2017 study in Nature Ecology & Evolution suggests that the modern house cat originated at least 10,000 years ago in the Middle East.

They descended from African wildcats, which look pretty similar to the modern, domesticated feline (though they are definitely wild creatures). The cat-alyst of cat domestication, though? History shows mice played a big role. Cats began to roam indoors for rodents and food, and humans soon found these resident mouse-catchers quite useful. Over thousands of years, this mutual relationship helped create the modern house cats we know today. You don't have to look any further than the many hardworking shop cats at corner stores around the world to see this partnership still thriving.

So, if you're looking to adopt a cat, there just might be one in your neighborhood ready to adopt you first. But remember, like Adrian, it's always best to take a few precautions. Always confirm if your cat is actually a stray, then be sure to take them to the vet to assess their health and get them house-ready. Then, celebrate! You've just got the purr-fect new family member.