That face! Meet Icarus Bon Jovi Smith, voted cutest cat in Bellingham area
Icarus Bon Jovi Smith is not actually a grumpy cat, despite a particularly expressive picture of him looking disdainful while staring into the camera.
In fact, the 12-year-old feline — called Icks for short — is actually a love bug.
Unless you’re a stranger, that is.
“He hates strangers,” said Corinna Healey-Smith from Bellingham, one of his humans.
But, “he loves us. He loves to be around us. He’s very chill, with spontaneous bouts of mania, which are fun to watch,” Healey-Smith told the Bellingham Herald.
The adorable photo in question, which helped propel Icarus to victory in the Herald’s cutest cat contest, was actually snapped while he was mid-sneeze.
The little guy can’t help it — he takes a great picture, even with a tickle in his nose.
The cutest cat contest launched in October, and Icarus emerged as the winner through two rounds of voting. About a dozen cats in and near Whatcom County were entered.
Icarus will now be entered into a second contest to determine the cutest cat in the country across more than 20 McClatchy newspapers, launching Monday, Nov. 10.
‘Wanted to be with us’
Icarus joined the Smith family — which also includes Healey-Smith’s husband, Scott Smith, and daughter, Aria Smith — when he was a kitten.
The family adopted him from the Whatcom Humane Society.
“More than most of the cats we’ve had, he looked like he wanted to be with us. He needed us as much as we needed him. He’s a lap cat. I sometimes think he’s part sheepdog — he loves to wrangle us,” Healey-Smith said.
Icarus will sit nearby, keeping watch as Healey-Smith works on art projects.
But when it’s nap time, he’s out. “He can sleep through the loudest of rap music or whatever I’m listening to at the time,” Healey-Smith said.
Icarus came with his Greek myth-inspired first name, and Aria added the middle name Bon Jovi because it “rolled off the tongue well,” Healey-Smith recalled. At 12, he’s a pretty mellow cat, although he can still bring a little kitten-like chaos, like when the Christmas wrapping paper comes out.
More than anything, he brings smiles to his family.
Healey-Smith said the decision to adopt Icarus was the right one.
“There are so many cats out there who need homes. We decided to go that route, and we’re very happy we made that choice,” Healey-Smith said. “He’s brought so much joy, silliness and warmth. We gave him the opportunity to have a family, and he gave us a new member of ours. He’s enhanced our lives.”
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