When a staff member at Gambill’s Pastaria named Sarah arrived at work a few weeks ago, she saw an unfamiliar customer waiting to be let in. Sitting patiently outside the front door of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, restaurant, there was a little orange cat.
Sarah approached the cat cautiously, unsure whether he’d be comfortable with her. To her surprise, he was incredibly outgoing.
“He was super friendly,” Hunter Stone Gambill, the restaurant’s owner, told The Dodo.
The staff decided to name him Cheeto after his adorable orange coat. The cat also took on “Garfield” as a nickname as an homage to the famous pasta-loving feline.
Over the next few days, Cheeto hung around the restaurant patio, greeting diners as enthusiastically as any restaurant host or hostess. He loved cuddling with the customers and curling up next to them.
Emily Shelton Gamel
“Cheeto … loves attention, and seems to think he’s part of the staff,” Gambill’s Pastaria wrote on Instagram.
As much as everyone at Gambill’s Pastaria would have loved to keep Cheeto on as a permanent staff member, they knew what he really needed was a home. They got in contact with Emily Shelton Gamel and Terry Gamel, who do TNR (trap-neuter-release) and foster work in the area.
“When I saw Gambill’s post about feeding a cat at their front door, I got concerned for its safety due to the restaurant being on a busy street,” Emily told The Dodo.
Terry Gamel
Emily and Terry posted Cheeto on multiple lost cat groups, but no one claimed him. Thankfully, Cheeto didn’t end up having to wait long before getting adopted.
As soon as George and Derek, two Tulsa locals, heard about Cheeto, they knew he was the right pet for them. They’d been looking for a calm, older companion for their cat, Qai.
Derek Tarvin
“[Cheeto is] super chill,” Derek told The Dodo. “Super attentive.”
Cheeto and Qai got along well instantly. Most importantly, Cheeto has been getting his cuddle fix in every day since moving in with his new parents.
George Romero
“He is beyond our wildest dreams,” George told The Dodo.
Woman Realizes The Adorable Reason Her Rescue Cat Loves ChipotleIt takes her back to her favorite day 💖
Dining and Cooking