There is a transportation company in Ohio that took on two very special projects in 2018. It was specifically their IT/Finance department that all joined together for a very important cause. And that cause came with 8 tiny paws! It was in the form of two young kittens that they fostered in the office building. After Reddit user carenl posted a video of her office’s kittens playing, the post went viral. No one expected their sweet cats would catch the attention of thousands of others. So to everyone’s delight, they started an Instagram page, @ourofficekittens and shared the shenanigans.
And if that weren’t cute enough, the two siblings were appropriately named Credit and Debit.
It started when the finance department decided kittens would help with daily morale–and they were right!
Even though the department only consisted of about 6 people, others in the company would stop by daily. There was one woman on the finance team who is allergic to cats, but she was happy to have the duo there.
Everyone wants to come visit our building to see them. One of our guys laid on the kitchen floor playing with them for a good half hour this afternoon. And we have a vet tech in the office family!
Credit is the ginger boy and Debit is the sweet calico girl.
We considered a lot of names (in fact they were Rex and Rae for the first few days, but none of us could get into those names). We also considered AR and AP, but ultimately these ones fit.
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The plan was to have the kittens live in the office 24/7.
They never shared just where the office is or how the kittens came to be there. But original poster, “carenl”, explained the setup for the siblings. They wanted to ensure everyone the kittens were still being well cared for.
At night they stay at the office. They have their own room with toys and food and water and a litter box.
Plus a bed and a house and a scratching post. Oh, and lots of boxes!
And my husband and I live super close, so we’ve been stopping in on the weekends for playtime and snuggles.
They all accepted that as pet caregivers, they’d all share the litter box duties too. Each person gets a different day so the kittens have a rotating line of human servants. HAHA!
Each day, Credit and Debit would greet their co-workers with head bumps and lap snuggles.
I mean, that is besides on a Monday.
Most people figured it would absolutely kill their productivity if they worked with cute kittens. But in this case, carenl provides a different perspective.
It’s hard not to play. But, when I have a stressful moment, a snuggle or a play session for a few minutes puts me back into work mode.
Video PlayerBut honestly it keeps me motivated having them around. I probably get more done because my mood has improved so much.
That is, unless it’s your arm they are lying on. And not only just lying there–stacking themselves on your quickly paralyzed limb! #worthit
Try not to get distracted by a captivating little meer-kitten!
And sister Debit is certainly not that co-worker that you try to avoid! Oh no, her cuteness knows no bounds.
I’m pretty sure I’d have been more excited for annual reviews had my supurrvisor been this cute–just sayin’.
But they soon had to accept that Credit and Debit would be better in a forever home.
It wasn’t the fact that they were pretty horrible at answering the phones.
No, that “toilet paper incident no one speaks of” wasn’t enough to get them fired.
And it wasn’t that their filing skills left a LOT to be desired.
Credit’s failed idea to start office biscuit making classes wasn’t why the department made the decision to say goodbye to the kittens.
When the purrfect adopter comes forward, sometimes it’s just fate.
Welcome to all of the new followers… for those who don’t know yet, the kittens have moved to their fur-ever home. They are thriving with their new kitty friends and family!
We miss them, and wish we could continue sharing their hi-jinks with all of you. But we made the decision for Debit and Credit to have a chance at a home. [A] family with other cats where their adventures could continue, and they can be truly happy.
And they love it. Please be kind to us and the difficult choice we had to make by giving them up. Thank you to everyone for the love and support for them and us, we appreciate all of you.
Sadly the kittens do not have a new social media account to follow, but hopefully their story will inspire others. You can still see lots of cuteness on their original Instagram account. Including the video below that made them famous.
Not every office can have kittens. But what if there is one out there where just one more life can be saved from life on the streets? That would certainly “account” for a lot in their eyes!