Michael Day, a Chicago artist, was spray painting in his yard with spray cans. When he turned back, he was startled to discover a little fluffy sitting on stone blocks, staring at him with interest.

Michael has previously picked up stray cats in the vicinity, but they have never ventured into his yard. “I believed he was hungry and thirsty,” Michael explains, “so I carried out the bowls for him and borrowed food from our house cat.”

The kitty remained on the blocks as an admiring spectator while he continued to draw.

When Michael turned around again, the kitten had already disappeared. But the man did not stop thinking about him, so he left him bowls of food and water for the night.

When he painted again the next evening, he heard a quiet “meow” – the ginger kitten was right there.

Probably, the small wanderer walked about the neighborhood looking for a spot to call home.

As a result, he approached his new human acquaintance, obviously seeking affection. Michael grasped the significance of this…

“He approached me and allowed me to take him up and hold him.” Michael recalls, “He even got on my shoulder.” “It was at that point that I recognized I’d been picked.”

The infant was adopted by Michael’s family, and he was given the moniker Oliver Gibbs Malley (abbreviated as O’Malley). In his new house, the red-haired youngster sat on his man’s shoulder that same night.

The veterinarian assessed the kitten’s age to be around three months. Even though he was small, he was bursting with energy and curiosity.

O’Malley clambered atop Michael’s shoulder at every chance and observed the room from there.

Everyone he encountered was kind to the kitty. He instantly became friends with Destiny, a golden retriever, and made her play all the time. “He’s curious — if you put anything in a conspicuous area, he’ll want to investigate it right away,” Michael says.

Now that the former tramp has grown up, he will be three years old this summer.

“He was so restless he went all around the house and jumped on everything!”

Everything that the ginger cat just touches with its paw is claimed by the ginger cat.

O’Malley never misses a chance to leap into Michael’s father’s lap when he sits down in his recliner.

Destiny enjoys lying down on someone’s knees as much as he does.

“He’s a good boy, I wouldn’t dream of another pet,” says Michael.