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A black and white tuxedo cat splattered with blue paint sits beside a tipped-over paint can on a messy wooden floor. 1 / 30

The Tuxedo Cat Swore He Never Touched the Paint Can

AI imagetuxedo catpaintcaught in the act

Somebody has been redecorating, and the evidence is all over the tuxedo cat. Bright blue paint splatters his white chest, speckles his black shoulders, and has even dotted one front paw. Beside him, a paint can lies on its side with a glossy blue puddle spreading across the floorboards. His green eyes are huge and round, fixed on the doorway as if he heard footsteps a second ago.

Behind him the room tells the rest of the story: a laundry basket, a few scattered shoes, a tangle of cords. Cats are drawn to open cans and buckets for the same reason they love boxes. They are curious, they like to investigate anything with an interesting smell or an opening, and a toppled can rolls and clatters in a way that practically begs to be batted.

If you ever have a cat who tangles with paint, the important part comes after the laughter. Wet paint can be harmful if it gets licked off fur, and some products are worse than others, so keep cans closed and stored up high, and call your vet right away if a cat has gotten into paint or solvent. Wiping wet paint off quickly with a damp cloth, rather than letting it dry, is usually the safer move.

For now, this one has decided that stillness is his best defense. He is calling this one an accident, an act of nature, and entirely the fault of the can. The floor may never be the same, but he looks magnificent in blue.

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