Man’s Unique Solution for Cat Who Keeps Distracting Him From Work

An Oklahoma man has told Newsweek about the unusual steps he has been forced to take to get any work done around his beloved cat.

Onyx has always been close to his cat Mallow. “She was a stray living in the shed used by our apartment complex,” Onyx told Newsweek. “When I used to read outside, Mallow would always find me somehow. She would lay across my feet, and sometimes jump into my lap.”

Whenever it rained, Onyx always made an effort to keep his back door open to provide some form of shelter for the local cats. “One stormy day, I opened the door, and she was sitting there on the back step. I let her in to get dry,” he said. “After a while, I tried to let her out. She was totally disinterested.”

That was April 2019, and Mallow has stuck around ever since. “She’s super playful and energetic, loves to snuggle, and always finds me when I’m reading,” Onyx said. “She usually melts over my elbow, purring while I read whatever it is.”

Though cats are often characterized as being aloof and independent pets, research suggests they form bonds with humans in much the same way dogs and children do.

A study in the journal Current Biology saw researchers conduct a variety of tests involving cats and their owners. A total of 70 kittens and 38 adult cats were tasked with spending two minutes in a new room with their owner, followed by two minutes alone.

The felines were then reunited with researchers analyzing their responses to determine whether they were securely or insecurely attached to their owner; namely, if the returning presence of their human calmed or pleased the cats.

Researchers found around 65 percent of the cats and kittens behaved in a way that suggested they were securely bonded to their owners, while 35 percent were insecurely attached.

That’s a similar percentage to the number seen among human infants and, according to the study, is higher than dogs, where 58 percent form secure attachments and 42 percent insecure.

Mallow certainly appears to be attached to Onyx. The pet owner said that the bond began to manifest itself in the most extreme way from around 2020 onward when Mallow took to interrupting Onyx any time he was working at his desk.

“I’d gotten back to college, and she was upset it took my attention away,” Onyx said. “She would be walking on papers as cats do and blocking my screen.”

Eager to carry on with his studies but conscious that he didn’t want Mallow to feel rejected, Onyx jokingly put her on his shoulder one time so he could refocus. Then something unusual happened.

“I picked her up and placed her there as a joke, and she started purring,” he said. It quickly became Mallow’s favorite spot to chill while Onyx worked at his desk.

“She now does this anytime I am writing for a project,” he added. Onyx graduated from college last month and, though it may have been unconventional, he credits Mallow with being his anchor throughout.

“She was my little cheerleader along the way,” Onyx said. “There were a lot of difficult projects, research conferences, etc. that were very stressful to work on. She would hop up on the desk and boom! Things were suddenly not so bad.”

Now that he has graduated and is heading off into the world of work, Onyx is looking forward to returning the favor with cuddles and treats aplenty for his feline pal.

“Mallow is my best friend, and has been since I met her,” Onyx said. “She came into my life when I lived alone with just my leopard gecko. She brought joy and comfort to me when I needed it most.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.