“I laughed and said it was totally fine, but he retreated back downstairs to put his tough guy persona back on.”: Tough-guy’s secret soft side revealed when his adoration of cats is exposed, leading to an unbreakable bond with his feline roommates

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 13, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

Tough-guys, dog people, or whatever they like to call themselves, they all actually are one thing with slight variances, and that is cat lovers in disguise. It does not matter whether they pretend to not like cats, need to meet the right cat to change their mind, or simply need a little time to get over being branded a dog person, eventually they all come around and find themselves infatuated with felines.

Which is exactly what happened to the cousin of this story's protagonist, who took to spending secret cuddle time with the protagonists' cat children when he thought she was not watching. But of course she found out soon enough and was elated to see that her feline fur babies were bringing her cousin such monumental moments of joy. It is all that we can want for our cat children to do in the world, to share their qualities that inspire joy in others.
 

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  • 01
    I (24f) live with my cousin (30m). I have three cats (one adult cat and two 12 week kittens), and whenever I am home he will be "mean" to them in a very joking and lighthearted way. He'll call them names (fatss, dumbss, etc.) but it's in
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  • 02
    that "bullying as a love language" type way and I have never been afraid of him actually mistreating my cats, especially because they clearly adore him. He plays and rough houses with them, he pets them, but he never gets all lovey dovey
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  • 03
    Today 1:12 PM He's been here for like 20 minutes + Text Message • RCS He's so sweet Delivered
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    the way I do with them..... Or so I thought. I live in a two story townhouse with my bedroom being on the second floor and I always keep my door open so that the cats can go in and out. Yesterday
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    Cheezburger Image 10552424448
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  • Ah, you know what they say, it is always the ones who are the most against something that are actually the most for it. And from the sounds of it, this wanna-be tough guy is about to get exposed as a secret softie, at least when cats are involved.

  • 06
    &
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    morning I had woken up but not gotten out of bed yet and my two kittens were playing on the landing just outside my bedroom door. I hear my cousin start to walk up the stairs and I stayed as quiet as possible. I knew he
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  • 08
    thought I wasn't home because when I am home he always calls up to me to ask if he can come up (I have given him permission to go in my room when I'm not home to play with my cats).
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    Cheezburger Image 10552424192
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    My door was cracked open about a foot and I see his arm reach, he says "Scoop!" And grabs a kitten. Then I hear about a minute straight of kissy sounds and baby talk.
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    I
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    I'm just quietly watching from my bed, trying not to let out a giggle, when he suddenly stops, slow turns, and makes stunned eye contact with me through the crack in my door. When he realized I
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    Cheezburger Image 10552422912
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    saw/heard the whole thing he got embarrassed and said "oh... I uh.. I saw them running around up here and thought I'd come play with them." I laughed and said it was totally fine, but he retreated back downstairs
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    to put his tough guy persona back on. The photo above is one he just sent me having a cuddle session with baby George
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    Cheezburger Image 10552423168
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  • Oh poor guy, he must have been so shocked and upset that his secret sweet time with the cats had been exposed. After all, it is not easy to be a man’s man in this world, when in fact you are more of a cat’s man than anything else. 

  • 17
    Update: A while back I made a post about how I caught my roommate baby talking my cats, and I have a new adorable development.
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    A couple months ago I went on a family vacation so my roommate took care of my cats while I was gone. During that week, he accidentally started a new routine with them.
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    Each time he'd fill their food bowls, he'd stand there and give them pets and scratches while they ate. After a couple days, they decided that that is now a requirement. Only with him though, they don't make me do this.
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    54
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    Now, every day when he gets home they run to the door to excitedly greet him and then run to their food bowls. They'll sit there and yell at him until he goes over to give them pets while they eat.
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    Cheezburger Image 10552423936
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    The funniest part of it is that they free feed. I just keep their bowls full so that they can eat whenever they are hungry (I know some people frown upon that but my work schedule is too unpredictable to keep them on a consistent
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    feeding schedule and none of them are overweight, so it works for us). Even though they have constant access to food, they'll wait for him to get home from work to have dinner so that he can give them scritches. So sweet
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    SMART Cor Pets
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roomate unbreakable bond secret adorable cats tough guy reddit story laugh cat story feline exposed soft
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