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Sassy cat abandoned for being ‘too much,’ shelter says. Can you handle Taco Cat?

Taco Cat, longing for the home of her dreams.
Taco Cat, longing for the home of her dreams. Photo screengrab from Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region’s Facebook page

Some animals are the feline embodiment of Jennifer Lopez or any of the daughters on “Downton Abbey,” but one cat in Colorado sets the entire mold.

Meet Taco Cat, a sleek black cat with violent green eyes and an ego the size of … well, a cat’s.

“I’ll be frank with you, it is utterly exhausting being better than everyone else,” the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs said in an Aug. 5 Facebook post. Using her words, of course.

“This is not some cultivated persona, no grand performance for the public eye. No, darling … I simply emerged into this world fully formed: magnificent, discerning, impeccably correct about everything,” the shelter said in Taco’s tone. “I didn’t ask for the responsibility of raising the standards for feline-kind, but apparently, the universe took one look at me and said, ‘Ah yes, her. She’ll do nicely.’”

Now why the name Taco Cat and not perhaps Lady Charlotteton Diamond Sparkles McDontlookmeintheEye?

“Yes, spelled the same forwards and backwards. A feat of symmetry. A linguistic jewel. Iconic from every angle. It’s not merely a name, it’s a calling card. People hear it once, and they’re done for, ensnared, which is both flattering and terribly tiresome,” the shelter noted.

Taco ended up at the shelter due to an unconventional abandonment — like most powerful women, she was more than anyone could handle.

“The official story is that I was ‘too much.’ Which is a genteel way of saying they couldn’t keep up. And to those people, I say: if you think I’m too much, by all means, go find less,” the shelter noted.

This could have to do with Taco believing cuddling is far too beneath her and that she must be the one to make the first move when it comes to attention.

“Keep your hands to yourself unless invited. And as for the children in my previous residence… well, their grasp of ‘personal boundaries’ was more theory than practice,” the shelter mentioned.

So, it’s best if Taco goes to a home void of sticky-handed little kids and dogs.

“And yet somehow, I’m the difficult one? Please. I simply maintain standards. The other cats here? Practically throwing themselves at the feet of any passing human. I watch it unfold from my perch and can only shake my head. Such desperation is unbecoming,” the cat … er, the shelter said.

Taco Cat likes the following, per the shelter:

  • Showing off her ballerina-like leaps
  • Playtime with a wand toy
  • Nobody breathing in her space bubble
  • Quiet

“I am fully aware that I am a diva. I am Regina George, not Cady Heron. I am not the awkward girl-next-door destined for a saccharine meet-cute,” the shelter observed.

“I am the queen bee, perfectly aware of her crown. But even queens, dear, have hearts. Mine longs not for constant contact or suffocating devotion, but for a… partnership. You read your novel; I lounge in a sunbeam. Our eyes meet across the room in quiet understanding.”

For more information, visit the shelter’s website.

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This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Sassy cat abandoned for being ‘too much,’ shelter says. Can you handle Taco Cat?."

TJ Macias
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TJ Macías is a Real-Time national sports reporter for McClatchy based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Formerly, TJ covered the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers beat for numerous media outlets including 24/7 Sports and Mavs Maven (Sports Illustrated). Twitter: @TayloredSiren
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