Los Angeles Family Stunned By Their Nebelung Cat’s Strange Yet Adorable Habit
After a long shower, most people look forward to wrapping themselves in a soft towel, breathing in the steam, and enjoying a few quiet minutes of peace.
But in Lela’s house, that peaceful moment doesn’t exist—not if you live with a very particular cat named Gatsby. For him, shower time is just the opening act for the main event: towel time.
It all started when Lela shared a clip on TikTok, a video she thought was just another cute moment with her pet.
Instead, it melted hearts everywhere and turned Gatsby into a tiny internet sensation. Because as adorable as Lela is, the real star of the video wasn’t her—it was her fluffy gray Nebelung with a very firm routine.
The second the shower switches off, Gatsby goes on high alert. He could be upstairs, curled under the bed, or mid-nap, but the sound of the water stopping snaps him into action.
Within seconds, he’s at the bathroom door, waiting like a little furry timekeeper. When the door finally opens, there’s no hesitation—he launches himself right into Lela’s lap, laying claim to the warm, towel-covered spot like it was made for him.
And make no mistake—this isn’t just a sweet little cuddle. It’s a ritual. As Lela explained in the video:
“Gatsby absolutely insists on having what we call ‘towel time.’”
Here’s where things get really funny. Towel time comes with rules. Gatsby expects nothing less than two full minutes of undivided attention.
For those two minutes, the rest of the world fades away. No phone calls, no distractions, no skipping. Just him, his human, and the towel.
If towel time doesn’t happen? Chaos. Plain and simple. Gatsby meows, scratches at the door, and makes absolutely certain the whole household knows he’s been denied. As Lela put it:
“He will clock the shower turning off from floors away and scratch at the door until I let him in to sit on my towel-covered lap for a minimum of two minutes. He will lose his mind if he doesn’t get towel time.”
When Lela shared the video online, she added a playful request for other cat parents to share their pets’ quirkiest habits. The comments section exploded. Turns out Gatsby isn’t the only cat who has strong opinions about household routines.
One commenter wrote about their cat who insists on performing a “breath check” on overnight guests, waking them up by sniffing their mouths like a little detective on duty.
Another revealed that their cat only accepts cuddles if their human happens to be sitting on the toilet—not the couch, not the bed, only the bathroom throne. And then there was the “car wash” cat who demands hair flipped upside down at just the right height or else throws a full-on tantrum.
Clearly, cats around the world are running their homes with quirky, hilarious rituals. But Gatsby’s towel time hit a special chord.
His video spread quickly, gaining millions of views and turning him into the poster-child for cats who simply must have things their way.
Of course, Gatsby’s breed adds to his charm. He’s a Nebelung, known for being clingy in the sweetest way, sticking close to their humans like shadows.
They’re affectionate, curious, and always eager to be in the middle of whatever’s happening. Gatsby has taken that reputation and run with it—making towel time his personal love language.
Most pets get excited about food, toys, or treats. Gatsby? He saves all his excitement for post-shower snuggles.
It’s his way of welcoming his human back from the “land of the wet,” as if to say, “Glad you’re dry again. Now sit down so I can soak up the warmth too.”
And honestly, that’s what makes living with cats so wonderful. They’re weird, opinionated, and full of quirks—but they make life warmer, funnier, and a whole lot more memorable.
