VANCOUVER—Reports have confirmed that nine-month old Madison Karn wants more than anything in the world to fit her parents’ 10-year old Himalayan mix cat, Mittens, entirely into her mouth.
Madison, who is approximately 24 inches long and has just begun to cut her first tooth, began interacting with the cat at three or four months, when she was first able to grab objects.
“It was really cute!” Madison’s father, Alan, told reporters. “She would reach out and touch a tuft of his fur and giggle.”
However, the behavior quickly escalated from grabbing, to biting for prolonged periods of time, to a focused, almost methodical pursuit, reports indicate.
“You can really see she’s passionate about animals,” Madison’s mother, Julia, told reporters while removing her daughter’s mouth from the cat’s exposed stomach. “She’s really bonded with Mittens,” she added, referring to her daughter’s tendency to crawl towards the cat during tummy time, play time, and meal time.
While the reasons for Madison’s interest in consuming—or at least tasting—the entire cat are unclear, her goal has proved challenging due in part to Mittens’ relative speed and in part to Madison’s lack of mouth space. She has reportedly thus far only been able to fit small portions of the cat—including the tip of his tail, several portions of his back, and, on one occasion, the top of his head–into her mouth.
“Madison is a very determined little lady,” Alan stated in a follow-up interview. “And we always want to encourage her to pursue her goals.”
“And to be fair to her, Mittens would probably try to eat us if he had the chance,” he added with a laugh.
At press time, reports confirm that Mittens does not care about care about Madison, her mother, her father, or anything else.
