Boyfriend tries to bond with his girlfriend's giant orange cat by slow-blinking at him behind her back, gets caught, and instantly becomes a meme in her friend group: 'I panic and say "We're communicating."'

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Nov 11, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Whenever we come across stories online about people in relationships and cats, it somehow always seems to be full of drama. We don't know what it is. We think that our partner having a cat is quite a big green flag, really, but we suppose it's not like that for everyone. And we understand. If our girlfriend was jealous of our cat and the relationship we have with it, or if our boyfriend told us we're unhygienic because of our cat and the way we kiss our cat on its little forehead, or if our girlfriend humiliated us for missing our cat when he ran away… yeah, all of that would be massive red flags that couldn't be ignored. 

What is not a red flag is what happened in this story. Which is why the framing of it is so weird to us. No, this man did not "mess up" for learning facts about cats to be able to bond with his girlfriend's cat. No, he didn't "mess up" by getting caught intensely slow-blinking at the cat to try to show it affection. He did not mess up. He won. And he doesn't even know it yet. 

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  • 01
    photo of a large ginger cat
    via Unsplash / Werzk Luuuuuuu - berzk

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    So my girlfriend Leah has this cat named Potato. He's a huge orange tabby, like 18 pounds, super chill. I've been dating Leah for about five months and Potato tolerates me but doesn't really like me. He'll sit on her lap but if I try to pet him he just leaves.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 03
    Sunday I'm at her apartment in Portland and she's in the shower. Potato's sitting on the back of the couch doing that slow blink thing cats do. I read somewhere that if you slow blink back at cats it's like saying "I love you" in cat language and they'll trust you.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 04
    So I'm sitting there slow blinking at this cat. Really committing to it. Holding eye contact, slow dramatic blinks, the whole thing.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 05
    Leah comes out of the bathroom in a towel. Sees me intensely staring at her cat, blinking in slow motion. Just. Dead silent. Blinking. She goes "...what are you doing?" I panic and say "We're communicating."
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 06
    She starts laughing so hard she has to sit down. Asks how long I've been doing this. I don't know maybe like five minutes? Felt longer honestly. Potato jumped off the couch and left the room. Didn't work at all. But wait, it gets worse.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 07
    Later that night we're at dinner with her friends. I don't know these people well, met them maybe twice. Leah tells them the story. They think it's hilarious. One of her friends Maya goes "honestly that's really sweet though, my boyfriend won't even try with my dog."
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 08
    I'm feeling defensive at this point so I say "I've been doing a lot of research actually. Like did you know cats have a third eyelid?" Leah looks at me. "Have you been googling cat facts to bond with Potato?"
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 09
    I have absolutely been googling cat facts to bond with Potato. Her friends are dying. One guy almost spits out his drink. Maya goes "please tell us more" and she's not even being mean, she's genuinely delighted.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 10
    So now Leah's entire friend group knows I've been studying cat behavior like I'm preparing for an exam. She updated her group chat and apparently I'm now "Cat Facts Boyfriend."
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 11
    This morning Leah texted me an article about cat psychology with the message "for your research." Potato still doesn't like me.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 12
    TL;DR: Tried to bond with girlfriend's cat using slow blink technique, got caught having an intense staring contest with a cat, admitted I've been studying cat facts, now I'm a meme in her friend group.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337

  • “Today I messed up," he says. Like a doofus, he says that. With no shame. As if he did not just win over the heart of this woman. As if this isn't the cutest thing that we have ever heard anyone do. “Messed up.” Ridiculous. 

  • 13
    photo of a large ginger cat
    via Unsplash / Jacalyn Beales

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 14
    Temporary-Hunter8337 OP I really like her. I'm willing to be Cat Facts Boyfriend if it means I get to keep dating her. Even if Potato never respects me.
    via Temporary-Hunter8337
  • 15
    photo of a large ginger cat
    via Unsplash / Martin Numan - martin_numan

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • This relationship has such potential, and honestly, we cannot wait to hear more about how you and this giant orange cat get closer over time. It's going to be a story for the ages, we just know it, and we need to be there for every single update.

  • 16
    ConcentrateHopeful79 Don't be a fool, you've made your gf laugh and she thinks you are cute. This is massive success. Ps: tifu not found
    via ConcentrateHopeful79
  • 17
    blbd If you are relaxed and slow blink and do the other stuff cats like he will eventually warm up. Watch Jackson Galaxy's YT channel for plenty of ideas and advice to try.
    via blbd
  • 18
    mx2649 Have you tried bribing Potato with treats? Probably works well on a 18 pounds cat
    via mx2649
  • 19
    photo of a large ginger cat
    via Unsplash / MARIOLA GROBELSKA

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 20
    6352956104 Endearing yourself to your gf and her friends? You KNOW you didn't fuck up. As a dog person I try to ignore all cats and interestingly that makes them come to me. Bit like children.
    via 6352956104
  • 21
    SadFloppyPanda This is adorably wholesome and I love it. Keep it up and I'm sure that potato will accept you.
    via SadFloppyPanda
  • 22
    Koelkast Magneet69 Dumbass(<3), that's not a fuck up, that's a giant win! You're so caring about your gf, your relationship, and her cat that you invested greatly in to trying your utter best to get a good relationship with her cat as she matters a lot to her too. She has seen that and knows that, she appreciates it a lot.
    via KoelkastMagneet69

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boyfriend aww pics wholesome cat adorable cute girlfriend cute cats Cats
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