There are kitten lovers…and then there are Ricky’s grandparents. When Izzie Grass left her kitten, Ricky, with her parents for two weeks, she had no idea what was in store for her after she got him back. Not only had Ricky been well taken care of, but his adventures with his human grandparents were fully documented in a photobook created by Grass’ mother, which she titled “Ricky Goes to Gramma’s and Grampa’s.”
“The photo album that reads like a children’s book first went viral when Grass shared it on TikTok in 2020. Now, it has resurfaced again and people are clamoring for more riveting Ricky content after reading about how the kitten “helped Gramma do the dishes” and how “Cousin Jasper and Charlie ate most of” the pancakes Gramma made for him.
Check out how adorably extra Gramma is:
@goldfishclub I’ll never run out of content. #Rickythesquittenkitten #cats #kitten #animals #pets #fyp #foryou #cute #happy #teachersoftiktok
Has any kitten ever been more loved?
“I would die for Ricky, Gramma, and Grampa,” wrote one commenter.
“This is GOLD. I want to see ‘Ricky Learns to Drive.'” wrote another.
“My parents didn’t even put this much effort into making scrapbooks for ME,” shared another.
And apparently Grass isn’t the only one with pet grandparents who are a little extra. “My mom made a full year calendar of my dog after only watching her for two days,” a commenter wrote.
Grass told Newsweek that her mom told her she made the book because “that’s what she does,” adding, “She is known for creating very sentimental gifts.”
Photobooks make sweet, sentimental gifts.Photo credit: Canva
Grass also shared that the book almost didn’t get made because Ricky almost didn’t make it as a kitten. He was brought to the veterinary clinic where Grass worked when he was 9 weeks old to be euthanized.”
The individuals who dropped him off reported that they found a kitten with broken legs and that was throwing up everything they tried to feed him,” she said. “I came back from my lunch early to care for this kitten and in the kennel was Ricky.”
As it turned out, Ricky had some birth defects and health problems that required specialized care, but he didn’t need to be euthanized. Grass took him home but needed a little time to prepare to give him the care he needed.
Orange kitten playing in the grassPhoto credit: Canva
“My mom stepped up and offered to watch him for a couple weeks while I got a handle of my schedule,” Grass told Newsweek. “It was during this time that she created the book.”
The fact that Ricky had specialized care needs at the time makes Gramma’s photobook all the more endearing.
“He has made so much progress,” Grass told Newsweek. “His esophagus works significantly better, he has learned how to walk, climb and run, and he continues to help me raise other foster kittens. Ricky is very loved and lives the life he deserved to have.”
Kittens can make an adventure out of anything Giphy
With a mom and grandparents like he has, it’s not a surprise.
Of course, the internet’s going to internet, and some people apparently looked at Ricky’s photobook a couple of years after the fact and complained that it was AI generated because of the way Ricky’s paws looked. However, as Grass shared in a video in 2024, those paws aren’t due to AI. They’re just Ricky’s real-life deformities that, ironically, make him appear AI-generated in the photobook. (It’s also worth mentioning that the photobook video came out well before AI-generated technology became available to the masses.)
@goldfishclub He spent two weeks with grandma because I was starting college again as was scared of him being home alone. Mamaw had to be his nanny and make sure he didnt hurt himself. #cat #kitten #animals #pet #goldfishclub #radialhypoplasia
“Ricky’s legs are actually shaped like candy canes,” Grass explains. “That’s not AI. That’s inbreeding. Spay and neuter your cats.”
You can find more videos of Ricky and the animals Grass fosters on her TikTok channel here.
This article originally appeared two years ago and has been updated.