Introducing the Heppsters: Mr. Baby Cat & Nicole

Hello! I’m Nicole and I’m honored to introduce you to the original boss baby, Baby. I know what you’re thinking, who names a cat Baby? – Well, he came to us as a stray and let us hold him like a baby and loved it – and by the time we realized he was our cat, we tried a few other more official names, but none of them stuck.

He is now called Baby Cat in our household because we have a human baby, who is actually a toddler now, so he probably could go back to having a single moniker, but we think the postnominal ‘Cat’ has given him a little more distinction in his elder years.

Mr. Baby (his professional name) is a geriatric Burmese cat, and as I type that, I am reminded solely of the ‘silver haired man in his 60s, Uncle Baby Billy’ from The Righteous Gemstones (if you haven’t watched it, I do recommend).

A Little About Me

I’m a former teacher that specialised in early learning and educational psychology. The patience and understanding skills I gained in my previous life have helped me to become a better mom, but definitely did not prepare me for some moments of feline motherhood. Cats and kids have a lot of similarities, though I do think cats can be much more difficult to figure out.

I am now the Director of Content Management at Pangolia, the parent company of Hepper, and have been working on the team since 2020. While I’ve been creating content on Hepper for years, I’m honored to now get to share a more personal cat-parenthood journey with you.

A Little About Baby

Mr. Baby is the most gentle little soul – but he is also a cat. He snuggles with our toddler and allows her to put lotion on his head during spa nights, but he pays us back for making him Baby Cat by peeing on the floor from time to time, just to remind us who’s boss.

All jokes aside, though, I couldn’t be more grateful for this furry little bean. He came to us as an adult cat nearly a decade ago, and was our first baby. We actually thought he was a she for quite some time (which is a story for another time, stay tuned), but he has been with us through multiple house moves, road trips, house sitters, lengthy stays with family and friends while we travelled, and of course, the growth of our family.

After my husband and I finished our world travel (thanks to Covid), we bought Baby (just Baby at the time) his retirement home where he could rest easy in the sunshine, stroll through the paddocks, and enjoy a view of the valley and forest. But, with planting roots comes a family tree.

First, another dog, Rosa, a New Zealand Huntaway; then Mac, our Lab x Mastiff; and then our daughter. Baby generally gives us a little eye roll and groan, and I imagine him muttering ‘what fresh hell is this’ each time we bring someone new home, but he gets on with it and snuggles in to them closely faster than any cat I’ve ever met before. My sweet boy.

He is aging like a fine wine in most ways, but the little man has kidney disease, which I’ll write about more in future stories, too. But for an approximately 16–17 year old cat, I have to say that he is as sprightly as he could be.

Thanks for Joining Us!

We’re so excited to share our journey with you, and hopefully get to connect with more people on a journey like ours. Having a geriatric cat comes with many physical and emotional challenges, most of which are rewarding, others simply selfless. But at the end of the day, I’ve never met another cat like Baby, nor do I think I ever will again, so I am truly looking forward to sharing our stories, adventures, and misadventures each week. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the ride alongside us.