B.C. couple explain why they haven't removed hostage-taking cats from blender box
Like all epic stories, this one starts quite simply, beginning with the delivery of a blender in a box.
“I brought it inside,” Jessica Gerson-Neeves says. “And set it down for a quick second.”
Enter the Langford, B.C., woman's cat with an appropriately heroic name.
“Anaximander Reginald Ramiel,” Jessica’s wife Nikii Gerson-Neeves says. “But we just call him Max.”
Max jumped on top of the un-opened box in the middle of their kitchen and wouldn’t get off.
“And that was the beginning of the end!" Nikii says.
Jessica posted a picture of Max on the box on a Facebook group, calling the situation “Breaking news” of a “stand-off” with “details to follow.”
“I woke up the next morning. The post had 10,000 interactions,” Jessica says.
And the box with the blender still inside? It was now being held hostage by a second cat, Lando Calrissian.
Max was looking up from the floor below, seeming indignant after being usurped.
Their third cat, George Destroyer of Worlds, was sitting beside them, poised for action. Jessica took a picture and posted a follow-up.
“Again, people lost their minds,” Jessica says of the increasing amount of feedback from followers expressing appreciation for the post and an appetite for more updates.
So on the third day, when George Destroyer of Worlds assumed the seat of power on top of the box, Jessica shared the latest chapter in the saga.
“It really took on a life of its own,” she says.
The couple have been sharing daily posts ever since, featuring Jessica’s comic commentary.
“A compulsive need to narrate it like a demented David Attenborough!” Jessica says.
They document power plays for the top of the box ranging from sedate nudges to furious feline fisticuffs.
“It’s a bit of a struggle for dominance,” Nikii says. “And they will start throwing paws.”
There’s also been unexpected twists in the story, including an article about the feline fiasco in the Washington Post, and the Vitamix company sending empty blender boxes to try and woo the cats away from the original.
“By the next morning, Lando was on the original Vitamix box and Max was very politely in line behind him [waiting] for the original Vitamix box, while the decoy [was beside them] unoccupied,” Jessica says. “It was hilarious.”
The epic continues more than a month later.
Tens of thousands of people are following the saga of the still unopened, never-unoccupied blender box. And yes, Jessica and Nikki know they could just move the cats.
“We’re having fun. The cats are certainly having fun. So many people are having fun,” Jessica explains. “The blender will still be there when this runs its course.”
“Things are dark, so find joy where it lives,” Nikii smiles. “And right now it lives in our kitchen on top of a Vitamix box.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.