A cat named Simba had a good thing going.
To Shirley Bishop, he was a beloved outdoor cat who came and went as he pleased. She didn’t think much of his long absences. That’s just how outdoor cats are. She even set up a social media campaign when he disappeared for longer than usual, worried something had happened to him.
Something had happened. He had found a second family.
Down the road, a woman named Groombridge had been visited by a friendly, affectionate cat who showed up one day and simply refused to leave. He was so charming and comfortable that she took him in completely, gave him food, gave him a bed, gave him a name. She called him Crazy Horse.
For months, Simba and Crazy Horse were the same cat, living parallel lives, eating double meals, collecting double affection, answering to two names, and going home to two women who each thought they were his one and only.
His house of lies came crashing down at the vet.
After Crazy Horse was bitten by a dog, Groombridge took him in for stitches. The vet records told a story. While recovering, Groombridge came across Bishop’s social media campaign looking for a missing cat. The photos matched. The cat matched. The timeline matched.
She called Bishop. It turned out the two women already knew each other. They used to work in the same building.
Rather than fight over him, they did the only sensible thing. A shared custody agreement was formed. Simba, also known as Crazy Horse, would keep both his names and both his mums. Bishop even put together a book with his weight, date of birth, and vaccination records to send along with him.
