Charlotte Tweedley & Gigi
I am a relatively new cat lady. Before I met Gigi, I was not into cats. Sure, there were a few here and there that melted my heart, but I wouldn’t have exactly called myself a “cat lady.” I grew up with 4 dogs and never really interacted with any cats until college when the neighbor tabby cat named Tony terrorized me and my hamster named Carl. I didn’t know how to speak Tony’s language and he didn’t know why I would not let him play with Carl. We were not a match made in heaven. After college, I had to compromise on my preference for dogs when I met my fiancé Will who is a major cat daddy. Slowly and surely he warmed me up to the sweetness and uniqueness of cats and I was all in.
About five years ago, Will and I had just moved into our new apartment in the Gramercy Park area, and I desperately wanted a furry friend to join us, particularly one with grey fur and green eyes. I searched all the adoption agencies and went to Ollies Place in the East Village searching for the right cat that could be our third roommate. Will and I worked opposite schedules at the time so this became my full-time job at night—campaigning and searching for our newest family member.
One May night we were walking home from Bar 169 up Second Avenue—buzzing from a night out and a few pickle martinis—when we were stopped dead in our tracks by this sweet little grey cat with big green eyes. I could not believe it! It was exactly what I was searching for and there she was! She emerged from a bush and went right up to us. Immediately friendly and sweet, she let us touch her and pick her up. We were smitten and brought her right upstairs to our apartment. it was the best decision we have ever made.
Gigi is one of the most affectionate cats I have ever met. She has a natural ability to make any person feel loved and comfortable around her. I have watched her singlehandedly turn my entire dog-loving family into pro-cat through her forced head rubs and her quirky personality. Gigi is incredibly outspoken for a feline and speaks her mind freely without an off button. She will fully let you know when you are off her schedule and will walk across your pillows in the morning until she sees you move. Gigi is a major foodie and is driven and motivated by good food (greenies, churus, etc.). She knows what she likes and doesn’t like. One of my favorite things she does is when she tries a new wet food, she will lick a bit and then stop to decide if she likes it or not and either continue or walk away. After her meals, she gets the zoomies for about 15 minutes and then falls asleep next to the radiators. She lives for the wintertime because the floor becomes her very own personal hot stone massage.
To keep in shape, Gigi loves her nightly strolls down the 10th-floor hallway. She likes to smell the different smells coming out of the apartments, hear what everyone is watching on TV, and occasionally run into our dog neighbor Josie (though she doesn’t know how she feels about Josie). Gigi is also incredibly playful. She will tunnel and pop out of things, chase you and the laser pointer around the house, and LOVES her catnip pickle toy that says “I’m Kinda a Big Dill.” Quirky and sweet—I would not change a thing about her. She is the cat love of my life, and I am so happy we decided to walk home from the Bar that night.
Charlotte works on climate strategy across food health, energy, and finance systems.