John Duthie shares his home with two feline companions, Spartacus and Queenie—each with their own unique backstory. Spartacus, a stray, wandered into Duthie’s yard, while Queenie, adopted from SA Cat Rescue Inc (SACR), arrived missing a tail. But the pair have something else in common: an unwavering devotion to napping on Duthie’s wheelchairs, often leaving him stranded.
A Purr-fect (But Inconvenient) Perch
Duthie, a wheelchair user, jokes that his cats are unfazed by his disability—except when it comes to his mobility aids. Queenie claims his powered wheelchair nightly, while Spartacus hogs his manual one. “Every time I need to use a chair, it’s a negotiation,” Duthie told The Dodo. “To them, sleep trumps my need to move around.”
His morning routine involves coaxing Queenie off the chair via a lift, a battle of wills that recently went viral on TikTok. In the clip, the stubborn tabby refuses to budge, earning laughs (and sympathy) from viewers. “Cats are possessive,” Duthie said. “In a way, it’s nice they don’t treat me differently—just inconvenient.”
Accessibility—With a Side of Cat Logic
Duthie has meticulously adapted his home for accessibility, but his cats remain his “biggest obstacle.” Despite the hassle, he adores them, even writing a children’s book about Spartacus. “They add challenges,” he admits, “but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
The internet, meanwhile, is firmly on Team Queenie—because who can resist a cat who prioritizes naps over human logistics?
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