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Man Built A Cat Cam To Track His Pet, What It Captured Is Pure Gold
Meet Gonzo, a sweet and social tabby cat with a heart of gold—and a love for trash. Adopted as a kitten by documentary filmmaker Derek Boonstra and his wife Maria in 2016, Gonzo has always been unusually friendly, human-oriented, and full of personality. But when he started bringing home bizarre little “gifts” from his outdoor adventures, the couple decided to find out what was really going on.
So Derek did what any filmmaker with a curious cat would do—he built a tiny spy camera and attached it to Gonzo’s collar. What they discovered was a surprising, hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking look into Gonzo’s secret life.
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This is Gonzo—a sweet, curious cat with a surprising hobby: bringing home trash
Image credits: gonzoisacat
He shares his life with his humans, Derek and Maria, his cat sister Fish, and his dog brother Chico
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Image credits: gonzoisacat
When Gonzo showed signs of being street-smart and car-aware, Derek and Maria began letting him explore their apartment complex—first supervised, then on his own
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Still, Derek wanted to know more: how far did Gonzo wander? Was he safe? And was he really that into trash? So, he strapped a tiny camera to Gonzo’s collar
Image credits: gonzoisacat
What the footage revealed was part nature doc, part rom-com, part trash collector’s vlog
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Gonzo, it turned out, loved bringing “gifts” home—plastic lids, wrappers, anything he could carry
Image credits: gonzoisacat
One day alone, he brought back 10 items. A record
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Image credits: gonzoisacat
But the gifts weren’t random. There was a reason behind them too
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Gonzo was in love—with Simone, a no-nonsense, street-savvy cat from the complex
He once offered her a plastic bag he found under a house. But Simone had already left. Gonzo meowed after her
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Sadly, Simone wasn’t swayed by his trashy gestures. She was older. Wiser. Unimpressed
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Yet Gonzo wasn’t just a hopeless romantic—he was also surprisingly gentle with wildlife
Image credits: gonzoisacat
The collar cam showed him calmly approaching baby opossums. Derek and Maria braced for disaster—but Gonzo simply sat and hung out
His charming adventures became so captivating that in 2019, Derek started documenting them—and even shared how others could build their own cat cam
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Over time, Gonzo has brought home hundreds of “gifts”—each one a tiny token of affection
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Now living in a house with a backyard, Gonzo and Fish still explore daily—within a safe, enclosed perimeter
Image credits: gonzoisacat
“We don’t necessarily recommend that everyone do this with their cats,” Derek says. “Gonzo has never minded wearing the camera, but he’s also an abnormally large and chill cat”
Image credits: gonzoisacat
Gonzo may never win Simone’s heart, but he’s definitely won ours
Image credits: gonzoisacat
We’re not the only ones obsessed — here’s what fans are saying
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What do you think ?
Binky Melnik 1 year ago (edited)
I had a cat here in NYC. Having grown up on a farm, I know cats are TERRIFIC mousers, so when we got an infestation of mice in the apartment, I figured “No problem! Fly will solve this!” Unfortunately, he and I had different ideas of “solving” the problem. My idea: He eats the mice. His idea: He brings them to me as gifts. The mice would be kinda out of it when he dropped them in front of me, as they didn’t get up and run but rather laid there listlessly, and Fly would watch for my reaction (which likely wasn’t what he expected, as he always seemed confused). I’m gonna stop the story here because the rest of it would likely get me downvoted, but my partner pointed out that since Fly wasn’t raised on a farm, he was likely unfamiliar with *my* type of mousing, the type I *wanted*, and he was likely right. Fly prolly thought they were cute toys who were waaay better than the fur fake ones I brought home, as they moved and squeaked!
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Roni Stone 1 year ago
Have to say I was quite impressed with his Simone-chasing. Give it time, Gonzo. She may just like to be won over --- endlessly. Maybe a shiny, pretty colored penguin stone!
Binky Melnik 1 year ago (edited)
I had a cat here in NYC. Having grown up on a farm, I know cats are TERRIFIC mousers, so when we got an infestation of mice in the apartment, I figured “No problem! Fly will solve this!” Unfortunately, he and I had different ideas of “solving” the problem. My idea: He eats the mice. His idea: He brings them to me as gifts. The mice would be kinda out of it when he dropped them in front of me, as they didn’t get up and run but rather laid there listlessly, and Fly would watch for my reaction (which likely wasn’t what he expected, as he always seemed confused). I’m gonna stop the story here because the rest of it would likely get me downvoted, but my partner pointed out that since Fly wasn’t raised on a farm, he was likely unfamiliar with *my* type of mousing, the type I *wanted*, and he was likely right. Fly prolly thought they were cute toys who were waaay better than the fur fake ones I brought home, as they moved and squeaked!
Load More Replies... Roni Stone 1 year ago
Have to say I was quite impressed with his Simone-chasing. Give it time, Gonzo. She may just like to be won over --- endlessly. Maybe a shiny, pretty colored penguin stone!
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