At almost 20 years of age, the senior male cat “Frodo” has problems walking upstairs – so his owner quickly builds him a stairlift.
Auckland – While dogs seemingly do anything for their owners, cats often seem more like believing that their humans are only there to serve them. With an appropriate attitude they stroll through their territory and let us know with conscious glances what they think of us. Cat owners know that. However, a New Zealand tomcat can be particularly lucky with his owner. Because apparently he has found someone who loves him so much that he would do anything for the well-being of his velvet paw.
The red tomcat “Frodo” has been around for almost 20 years – a lot for a cat! And so he is only a little younger than his owner, the Youtuber Liam Thompson (21). In a video he recorded how he tried to noticeably increase the comfort on his property for Frodo – with the help of a stairlift. Because a nine-step staircase leads from the house to the pool in the garden, where the elderly tomcat likes to linger.
Because he’s almost 20 years old: Tomcat gets a stair lift
“Despite his antiquity, he insists on hobbling down those stairs every day to sit in the sun,” says Thompson, describing the problem. “That means – to this day.” The New Zealander sets out to build rails and a carriage out of wooden panels that can move up and down with an electric elevator at the push of a button. A few days and crash tests later, the stairlift shines in blue and offers a comfortable bed for Frodo.
A little later comes the moment of truth: The sun is shining on Frodo’s place by the pool – perfect conditions for testing the lift. “Do you want to try out your new elevator?” Asks Thompson in the video and puts the cat in the blue transport box. “Are you ready to go down without moving a muscle? I hope so, because it took me four days, ”admits the Youtuber.
Frodo makes himself comfortable and closes his eyes before the journey begins. “What do you think of that, buddy? Was that fun? ”Asks Thompson. The cat blinks a bit puzzled when he arrives in the garden a few seconds later. It owes its owner an answer. He doesn’t seem to make too much of it, how exactly he got there, and paces purposefully in the direction of the pool.
Youtuber builds stairlift for old hangover: “Best day of my life”
“This is the best day of my life. If you ask me, my friends, that’s a great success, ”says owner Thompson. A whopping ten minutes later, Frodo has finished his sunbathing and is on his way to the house – time for ride number two on the stairlift. Without being too impressed, he leaves his master behind at the lift after his master’s announcement “You have reached your destination” and disappears into the house.
Frodo’s path to greater comfort in old age seems to move people. So far, over 2.6 million people have seen the video about the stairlift. The Youtuber Liam Thompson has more than 1.9 million subscribers on the video platform and regularly delivers videos in which his pets appear. One in which he wants to teach his dog to play Minecraft got 22 million views. He also reached many people with the construction of a roller coaster in his garden or a self-made water slide. (ial)