Meet Piper, the tabby who went from the side of the road to Wichita’s cutest cat
By Lindsay Smith – The Wichita Eagle (TNS)
Dec. 26—Greg Kalkwarf was jogging on a rural Sedgwick County road in November 2023 when he came across a saw blade laying on the ground. Concerned that the blade could lead to someone getting a flat tire, he picked it up and tossed it in the grass. In return, Greg was surprised to hear a “meow.”
That’s when he met Piper, a short-haired tabby cat and winner of the Wichita Eagle’s cutest cat contest, in which readers entered their pets to be voted on by subscribers. Piper beat out more than 150 cats for the title, gaining more than 4,000 votes during the final round.
Before his jog that November day, Greg’s daughter, Teagan, had decided that convincing her parents to get a cat was “hopeless.” But when Greg came home with Piper (soon after Teagan’s 11th birthday), Teagan jumped into action, even creating a Powerpoint for her parents explaining what she would do to keep the cat.
“It was, like, food, water, toys, responsibility,” Teagan said.
Finally, after Facebook posts yielded no potential owners and a trip to the vet found no microchip, Greg and his wife, Kirsta, decided to keep Piper. But they had two conditions — the kitten would stay in the garage of their Clearwater home and Teagan would be her primary caretaker.
A cat was not the only thing Teagan, who is now 12, got that November day, according to Greg. He said that the responsibility Teagan gained from taking care of a pet has been irreplaceable.
One thing Teagan has learned since taking care of a cat is how annoying it can be.
“I have to clean up after her a bunch; she kicks stuff everywhere,” Teagan said.
When asked to describe 1-year-old Piper’s personality, Teagan called her “a cute brat.”
But Piper — also lovingly called “Fluffy,” “Fluffy Face,” “Fat Cat” and more — also has simple pleasures.
“We had some leftover mulch, so we put some mulch in an old litter box. She loves it,” Greg said.
Teagan said her favorite part about having a cat is the cuddles.
“I just walk out to the garage, sit down,” she said. “She jumps up on my lap, rubs all over. It’s adorable.”
While Piper is a garage cat, their garage isn’t the only place she sees. In fact, coming to meet with The Eagle, Greg and Teagan had brought Piper to the park — not without a leash, of course. At one point, Teagan picked up Piper and ran around the park with her.
Greg said watching Teagan’s relationship with Piper has been the best part.
“To now see how much a human can bond with an animal, that has been pretty impressive,” he said.
When Greg saw The Eagle’s cat contest, he sprung into action, letting all of their friends know to vote for Piper. Teagan said Piper winning the contest made her even more “purrfect.”
Here are some other fun facts about Piper the cat:
— Teagan named her Piper after the Pied Piper.
— She loves sunshine and birds.
— She loves to roll around in the grass.
— She has long whiskers that look like a mustache.
— Her favorite treats are purees.
While Greg still doesn’t know why Piper was on the side of the road that day, he is sure of one thing.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that we saved her life,” Greg said.
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