Oklahoma Woman Borrows Stranger’s Orange Cat For Kids’ Garfield-Themed Party
Parents will go to great lengths to bring joy to their children. They will do just about anything to see a smile light up their little one’s face and create memories that will last a lifetime.
One Oklahoma mom recently showed just how far that love can go when she came up with the most unusual yet heartwarming idea.
Clara Edwards, a mother from Oklahoma, wanted to make dinner extra special after her daughter Madison expressed a very specific wish.
Madison had asked for lasagna, and while Clara happily cooked it, her daughter was disappointed. As Clara explained in an interview with Business Insider:
“Our oldest, Madison, just wanted to eat lasagna. We cooked her lasagna and she got sad because Garfield wasn’t there. That’s what really started it.”
Most people thought Clara must have been planning a birthday celebration, but it was not a party at all. It was simply a family dinner that she wanted to make memorable.
That single request from her daughter inspired Clara to search for something many parents might not even consider. She wanted to borrow an orange cat to play the part of Garfield at the dinner table.
At first, Clara turned to friends and family, asking if anyone owned an orange cat she could borrow for a short time.
When that effort failed, she took her search online. She placed a flyer at her workplace and even posted on Craigslist. Her flyer captured both her humor and her determination:
“Wanted: to BORROW an orange cat for 24 – 48 hours, to have a lasagna dinner with Garfield-loving 4-year-old and 2-year-old children. Will return cat happy and cared for. Cat will not be required to eat lasagna if contraindicated. Please. No feral cats. And please take your cat back at the end. Not looking to adopt. Thank you, An increasingly desperate (but not crazy) mom-of-two with no friends that own orange cats.”
Clara’s search went on for two months, but she never gave up. Eventually, a medical student in Oklahoma City answered her Craigslist ad.
The student, Christi, and her partner Conor, happened to own an orange cat and were touched by Clara’s request.
Not only did they agree to let their cat attend the dinner, but they also came along with cupcakes decorated with bright orange icing to fit the Garfield theme.
Clara was overjoyed at their kindness. The evening turned out better than she could have imagined. Her kids were thrilled, Garfield was finally “present” at the table, and two families who had never met before became friends. As Clara later said:
“They’re really great people, and we’re still in contact. My kids get to meet a cat, and we have friends now.”
To make the night even more special, the famous food brand Stouffer’s heard about Clara’s story and decided to join in on the fun.
They provided lasagna for the Garfield-themed dinner, adding an extra layer of excitement to an already memorable event.
For Clara, the evening was not about gaining attention or praise. She insisted she was just doing what any mother would do. Still, her creativity and determination went far beyond the ordinary.
Welcoming strangers into her home, building new friendships, and going out of her way for her children showed how deeply she valued making their childhood magical.
It is stories like these that remind us how small acts of love can create unforgettable moments.
Clara’s children will always remember the night Garfield came to dinner, and her story will inspire other parents to find creative ways to bring happiness to their families.
