My mom has always disliked cats, but some magical bonding moment must have happened the last time she watched Buddy for me because he’s grown in her estimation from a “crazy man” to “a cute cat” and a “good boy.”
A few weeks ago she even excitedly told me she’d gotten a Christmas gift for him. That’s two toys from her in two months! She was so happy to give him the toy — one of those balls that zips around on its own with sensors, changing direction and mimicking prey — when she and I exchanged presents, and beamed as she encouraged him to chase it down.
What the heck is going on here? Feline sorcery?!
And then there was the cherry on top, when she accidentally called Bud “Mike.”
Mike is my brother’s name.
“Oh geez,” my brother replied when I informed him via text.
So now I’m gonna call Buddy Mike, because it’s hilarious and diminishes my brother while elevating Bud. Not all the time, mind you. I can’t be confusing the little guy, and besides, my brother lives overseas, so I’ll only get the opportunity via Facetime. But it’ll be just enough to get under my brother’s skin and remind him every so often that, to our mom, he’s on my cat’s level.
Pain In The Bud 
LMAO!!! My mom said the same thing. Disliked cats. Until i boarded a cat named Rufus. Both passed away. I have photo of my mom on refrigerator sleeping on couch and Rufus at her feet.
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I hope they’re cuddling in the sky. It just takes the right cat to convert a cat hater. Or in this case, a cat who wears someone down over years!
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Did Bud/Mike chase that ball? Mine were horrified when I presented them with one. Now it sits in the corner, scorned.
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Yeah Bud is skeptical of any electronic toys and he was scared of the floppy fish. With this toy he’s interested but wary. I forgot to turn it off and put it away one night last week and woke up to Bud leaping off me and the whirring, clicks and bumps of the toy zooming around. At first I had no idea what the heck was going on lol.
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Ahahaha that’s hilarious! I think my late Mom may have called me by one of her cats’ names too once, but I’m not recalling it exactly at the moment.
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This is one thing you can never let parents live down. Mike agrees.
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I had a foster cat who told me his name was Mike, though at the humane society he was registered as something else. He told me by the fact that I simply couldn’t remember to call him anything else.
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He was clearly a telepath. Jokes aside, with some cats you just know. That’s how I knew Mike was Buddy.
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Buddy has worked his cat magic on your Mom. Next thing you know, she’ll be telling her friends about the cute things he does.
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In the past I’ve jokingly offered to let her “borrow” him, touting his stress-relieving properties. I probably shouldn’t joke about that anymore.
Cats really are magic.
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You don’t want to have to share custody. 🙂
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Winning over your Mom is the ultimate proof that Buddy is irresistible; seems to me she will now be forever in his power. Way to go, Buddy!
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I mean, she’s buying him treats and everything! Cats are little charmers, as you well know with your regular house guests.
“Excuse me, P, you’re sitting in my seat. Got any more of those crunchies?”
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Err what does Buddy think about all this?
Actually, he probably thinks that he is serving Mike a great honour !
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That’s exactly what he thinks, I’m sure. In his mind it’s an honorific: “I am now the Mike!”
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Heheheh . . . In addition to saying “Glor-Kath-Carla” and occasionally “Donald” (my dad), my mom called me Buster once. Buster was our terrier-chihuahua pup. . . . It happens. 😉
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Hah! The “cycle” name calling is the best. Buster is a great name for a chihuahua.
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