This Mischievous, Water-Loving Kitten Flooded a Virginia Cat Cafe

Early this month, the entire second level of a Virginia cat cafe called Purrfect Bean flooded, with water eventually raining down to the cafe below and causing major damage to the space. The alleged culprit? A five-month old tuxedo cat named Roller, who loves playing with water. 

“We had seen him sort of playing with the faucet, and we were working on coming up with a way to turn it off,” cafe owner Michelle Langham told 12 On Your Side. 

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Unlike many cats, Roller (full name Roll the Dice) loves water. And apparently, he also knows how to turn the sink on and off. The staff believes that Roller somehow got into the bathroom; once inside, they think he somehow managed to block the drain using a towel before turning on the faucet. Cue the flood waters. 

“It was like, just like a monsoon,” Langham said. 

Langham told 12 On Your Side that when she discovered the flood, most of the cats in the cafe were safe (but grumpy), and they had retreated to higher ground. Not Roller, though, who was splashing around and playing in the water without a care in the world. “He was having a grand time,” she said. 

It might seem like a totally wacky situation that deserves a bit of skepticism, but it’s definitely not unheard of for cats to be remarkably adept at turning on sinks. Commenters on Facebook shared their own stories of their water-loving felines. 

“I had a pair of older foster kittens that kept flooding the bathroom,” shared one commenter.

“We came home one Christmas Eve to a flooded kitchen,” another said. “PeeDee, black-and-white kitty, laying on the drinking water from the overflowing sick. He was, and still is, the only one that knows how to turn the water on.”

Purrfect Bean had just opened its doors this past August. It’s currently the only cat cafe in Richmond, Virginia, per 12 On Your Side. The cafe takes in cats from foster homes, which allows foster families to care for more cats in shelters. Customers pay to hang out with the cats and the money goes back to helping the animals. The cats live at the cafe even when it’s closed.

Unfortunately, the damage from the flood means that Purrfect Bean is closing its doors for renovations for at least the rest of the year. The cats will have to return to their previous foster homes for the holiday season. Purrfect Bean held a pop-up fundraiser last weekend and according to their social media, they are working on more pop-ups around Richmond in the coming weeks. The cafe also set up a GoFundMe to directly help the staff; they won’t be working while the store is under renovation.

Additionally, Purrfect Bean also made custom Roller T-shirts, featuring a wanted poster of the adorable kitty culprit himself. All proceeds from the shirt will go to the cafe renovations, specifically for coffee equipment and other items not covered by insurance. 

The Purrfect Bean cats are all available for adoption through Purring Hearts VA. Yes, Roller included. So, if you’re a Virginia resident who’d like to give this water-loving, property-damaging tuxedo cat his forever home, you certainly can this Christmas. If you’re not a local (or you’re particularly risk-averse), you can donate at the link below to support the Purrfect Bean staff during this time.