For many parents, a new school year means sending their children to the school bus every morning. But in a family, that duty belongs to a cat, who insists on seeing his favorite people to and from his bus stop every day.
Jessica Leatherman is the owner of a cat named Craig whom she rescued from a shelter in 2019. She has been a loved part of the family ever since. He especially loves Jessica’s 7-year-old daughter, and now takes it upon himself to make sure she gets to school safely every morning, as a viral TikTok video shows:
@craig_the_cat We love this cat. He’s the best. #cat #catsoftiktok #rescuecat #sheltercat #fyp
♬ You Got A Friend In Me (From “Toy Story”) – Karaoke Version – Urock Karaoke
While the first grader waits for her bus, Craig waits faithfully by her side and does not return home until the bus has left. Jessica says that Craig’s “bus service” is something the cat did unexpectedly. “He is completely alone and decided to take on the job himself,” the video says.
“The bus stops right in front of our house and I thought I’d let him out so he could hang out with me,” Jessica told The Dodo. “But instead of me, he decided to hang out with her, and he followed her down the sidewalk and into the driveway, sitting there the entire time she waited for the bus.”
@craig_the_cat Bus duty. All in a day’s work. #craigthecat #busduty #fyp #rescuecat #catsoftiktok #cat #goodboy
The original TikTok video, which was viewed more than 6.3 million times, says that Craig is “a rescue cat that nobody wanted.” He had spent 8.5 “in a cage” at the shelter until the family gave him a loving home.
It seems like Craig is eager to pay off by taking good care of his favorite 7-year-old son. Jessica says that Craig and his daughter are like “two peas in a pod.”
The video also says that he has become a “local legend.” “Now every kid in the neighborhood knows him and the whole bus is saying ‘Craig!’ When they stop, “Jessica told The Dodo. “So he became that cute neighborhood pet.”
Jessica says that her loving cat keeps her daughter company every day. And not only that, he waits when she comes home from school, and she shows him lots of love and pets.
What a nice cat. We are very happy that this “cat that nobody wanted” has found such a loving home and that this girl has such a faithful friend to take care of her every day.