Man Built A Cat Cam To Track His Pet, What It Captured Is Pure Gold

This is Gonzo—a sweet, curious cat with a surprising hobby: bringing home trash

He shares his life with his humans, Derek and Maria, his cat sister Fish, and his dog brother Chico

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

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

What the footage revealed was part nature doc, part rom-com, part trash collector’s vlog

Gonzo, it turned out, loved bringing “gifts” home—plastic lids, wrappers, anything he could carry

One day alone, he brought back 10 items. A record

But the gifts weren’t random. There was a reason behind them too

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

Sadly, Simone wasn’t swayed by his trashy gestures. She was older. Wiser. Unimpressed

Yet Gonzo wasn’t just a hopeless romantic—he was also surprisingly gentle with wildlife

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

Over time, Gonzo has brought home hundreds of “gifts”—each one a tiny token of affection

Now living in a house with a backyard, Gonzo and Fish still explore daily—within a safe, enclosed perimeter

“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”

Gonzo may never win Simone’s heart, but he’s definitely won ours

We’re not the only ones obsessed — here’s what fans are saying