A COUPLE has spent $20,000 dressing up their cat in cute outfits – including dressing him up as a barista.
Kathy Guo and Sam Xie, both 32, post videos of their nine-year-old ginger tabby, Waffle, making her signature drink for their 28,000 followers on Instagram.
The couple adopted Waffle from a rescue centre in 2015, as Sam had always wanted an orange cat to match her love for Garfield.
Sam, who describes herself as the “crazy cat lady” in the relationship, runs the Instagram page and the couple dedicate their weekends to filming and editing content.
They spend a week writing the scripts for the videos and then spend about six hours filming the clips — which leaves them time for a waffle-sized acting break.
She estimates she's spent about $20,000 running the page — including costumes, props, accessories, recipes and a $2,000 giant coffee cup-themed cat tree.
Waffle has more than 16 aprons and dozens of accessories — including capes, bow ties, hats and jackets.
Despite Waffle's obvious talent, Sam revealed that some of that $20,000 went towards the cost of repairs to their flat due to Waffle's accidents while making drinks.
The couple pampers Waffle a lot and spends around $500-800 per month on her food, supplements, cosmetics, and costumes.
Sam, chief operating officer of Nala Cat cat food from Santa Clara, California, US, said: “It’s a lot of work. A video – even one that’s a minute long – can take five or six hours to make.
“Half of that time is spent recording the waffle – cats don’t stay still!
“We have to film some parts and then when she's ready to do it again, we'll film again.”
“We’re always having to get his paws into something – so it’s a lot more work than it seems.
“We usually script what we want to do during the week and then save Saturday for filming and Sunday as a back-up.
“We try to bring our own twist to the recipes and I try to do something more unique for our audience, because I know most of our audience is in the US.
“We even make cat-friendly treats sometimes so Waffle gets to eat something too!
“Waffles are the shining star of our lives.
“Waffle was adopted when Kathy and I first moved in together and she has been with us through some of the most difficult times in our lives.”
Sam launched the page in 2017 to gain some experience using social media for a new job.
He said: “When I was a social media intern fresh out of school, they didn’t want me to run their Instagram account without any experience, so they suggested I create an account for Waffle to practice.
“The pictures started to gain momentum and it grew and then we really focused on it in 2019.”
During Covid, Sam started her own Etsy shop to sell some of the costumes she purchased for Waffle.
But the shop really took off when Sam created a special apron for waffles.
He said: “We sold two or three thousand of them.”
“I thought it would work for a cat – it’s easy to put on and you can adjust it very easily.
“Obviously, I didn’t have anything to market, but I thought I’d take something very popular and make it cat-themed.
“They're all cat-themed versions of brands like Starbucks, McDonald's, Wendy's, Chipotle, and Burger King!”
Sam says the most difficult video was making in collaboration with a cat chef named Cody.
The video shows two cats making a strawberry latte together.
He added: “It was really hard to co-ordinate and we had to get them doing exactly the same thing at the same time, but it's definitely my favourite.”
Along with a collection of clothing accessories, one of her biggest personal purchases for Waffle is her very own coffee cup cat tree.
“We had it made from wood and it cost about $2,000,” Sam said.
“Her monthly bill can average between $500-$800.
“She has top-of-the-line food, supplements, treatments, bottled water, cosmetics, monthly subscription toy boxes, her Instagram filming supplies, new outfits, etc.
“We also contribute to an emergency savings fund for her on a monthly basis.”
Waffle's impressive coffee-making skills have caught the attention of brands that have sponsored him.
Sam said: “We have a deal with a pet supplement brand that is long-term and we’ve been working with them for over a year.
“We also have some dustbin men.
“Making coffee videos actually brought out more things related to coffee, so I did something with my local coffee shop as well.”
“This will definitely open up more avenues!”
