When I consulted my hairdresser about "my cat's habit of chewing my hair"... I ended up with a haircut that surprisingly put my cat first.

Like other cat owners out there, I’m the type who usually puts my beloved cat’s needs before my own. But even I was surprised to find myself thinking, "I can't believe I’m being 'cat-first' about this, too...!"

It’s my hair. About two years ago, after meeting a cat-loving hairstylist, I started getting a "cat cut"—a style that honors my cat’s habit of nibbling on my hair.

Who is the culprit behind my uneven hair length?

It all started when my hairdresser pointed out that my hair was uneven. At the time, the right side was slightly shorter than the left.

Since I love high-tone, heavily bleached hair, I assumed the unevenness was just due to damage. However, even after getting it trimmed, the length would be different again by my next visit, which started to puzzle my stylist.

When she asked, "Do you have any ideas why?", the first thing that came to mind was my cat Leon, who loves to chew on my hair. No way, a cat couldn't be the cause. He doesn't chew that much. Even so, I confessed to my stylist, "My cat does sometimes chew on my hair."

To my surprise, my stylist suddenly became super excited. "What! That’s so cute!! How does he do it!?" She was more interested than I expected. Seeing this edgy-looking stylist instantly become as giddy as a high school girl was incredibly adorable.

As someone who becomes incredibly talkative when the topic turns to cats, I explained the situation in as much detail as possible to show off how cute he is. I laid bare my life as a humble servant to my cat, sharing things like, "When I’m brushing my teeth, he hops up on the vanity and stands on two legs to nibble," or "When I’m sitting in my floor chair, he climbs onto it and sinks his claws in while he bites."

Getting my hair nibbled on again today~ video version~ pic.twitter.com/ssEQpmfynl

— Yua | Writer🖊 (@yunc24291) January 18, 2021

Every time I answered, my stylist just kept saying "Cute!" over and over. She sounded like a bot that could only say "cute." After listening to my stories, she confessed her own feelings about cats, saying, "If I weren't allergic, I would definitely have a cat!" Then, it was my turn to turn into a bot that could only say, "Cats really are cute, aren't they."

The incredibly unexpected solution from my stylist

After our high-energy conversation continued for a while, she snapped back to reality and said, "You're right, the cut lines are random. Those nibbles might actually be the reason for the uneven length." As expected of a pro, her observation skills are sharp. Also, the fact that she calls cats "nyan" is just so cute.

While feeling impressed and charmed, I replied, "I see. It’s hard to stop a cat from nibbling, so I’m not sure what to do."

My stylist then took a completely cat-first stance, saying, "Yeah, you definitely want to let your nyan keep nibbling." She doesn't even live with a cat, yet she's so cat-first! I felt embarrassed that I had even spent a second searching for ways to make him stop.

While I was busy feeling ashamed, my stylist came up with a conclusion that was totally out of left field. "Alright! Then let's add a 'nibble cut' to the left side to match the ones on the right!" Saying that, she used the nibble-marks Leon had left on the right as a reference and began snipping away at my left side.

A professional using a cut my cat made on a whim as a template... I was stunned by this development and quietly cheered on my stylist as she struggled, saying, "Mmm! It's so hard to recreate a nyan's haircut!"

The outcome for a servant whose very hair is now cat-first

I never imagined my hair would become cat-first, too. As I thought about that, with Leon's smug face popping into my mind, the cut was finished. My stylist looked proud, telling me, "I made the nibble cut look as much like your nyan's as possible."

To be honest, looking in the mirror, I couldn't tell which part was the "nibble cut," but I understood that Leon and my stylist had created something new together. My stylist probably never thought she’d spend her life cutting hair to match a cat’s biting pattern.

After that, every time I visited the salon, I continued to get the nibble cut. After repeating this, eventually, I stopped worrying about the unevenness of my hair length.

Maybe this is also thanks to my stylist's skill. I was moved by this, but as the unevenness became less noticeable, she would say, "That's great," while looking a bit lonely. She even started asking me disappointedly, "Does your nyan not chew your hair lately?" Could it be that she wants to do more nibble cuts...?

As for Leon, the mastermind behind the nibble cut, he doesn't come to bite my hair during my morning routine anymore, but now he hops on my back like he's asking for a piggyback ride while I’m cleaning the litter box, and he nibbles on the hair at the back of my head.

Life with a clingy, younger boyfriend. pic.twitter.com/VDnwB1mw1g

— Yua | Writer🖊 (@yunc24291) April 29, 2022

When I told my stylist about this, she was absolutely smitten, exclaiming, "What! Your nyan does that for you!" A day where she gets to apply a technical nibble cut to the back of my head might be coming soon.

View a list of articles by this author＞＞