Cami Chan goes trick-or-treating with a ragdoll cat on a lead. He wears the costume.
She rings the doorbell.
The 28-year-old professional cosplayer from Chicago, Illinois, shares her home with four cats, Artemis, Kerrigan, Jupiter and Mercury, and she does not consider herself their owner.
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“I definitely feel like I’m their mom rather than their owner,” said Cami, who has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram as @camichanowo.
“I always joke that they’re my kids and I’m a single mom.”
Trick-or-treating with a cat on a lead
Halloween ranks among Cami’s favourite times of year, and the cats come with the territory.
“I love dressing up, and obviously I have to get my cats involved too. They’re basically my children, so why wouldn’t they get to celebrate with me?” she said.
“I’ve taken Artemis trick-or-treating on a little lead before, and it’s so funny seeing people’s reactions.
They’re expecting kids dressed as ghosts and witches, and then there’s me turning up with a cat in a Halloween costume.
“Some people might think taking a cat trick-or-treating is ridiculous, but I don’t care. He’s my baby, and I love making memories with him.
I don’t need actual children to enjoy Halloween – I’ve already got four furry ones at home.”
Artemis has gone out as a pumpkin. He has also gone out as a king.
The second one was typecasting.
The only boy, and he knows it
Cami says the purebred ragdoll considers himself a cut above his three sisters.
They eat dinner on the floor. He does not.
“He has a superiority complex over the other cats because he’s the only boy,” she said.
“I think he knows he was expensive. He eats all his food on the kitchen island, while the other girls just eat on the floor.”
Strangers only feed the ego. “People always want to stop and say hello or take pictures,” Cami said.
“I think he secretly loves being the centre of attention, even though he acts like he’s too important for everyone.”
He is also the only one of the four who will put up with a costume.
“The girls would probably look at me like I’d completely lost my mind,” she said.
Cami insists none of it happens against his will.
“If Artemis didn’t want to wear something or go outside, that would be absolutely fine.
I just think it’s cute being able to include him in the celebrations if he’s comfortable with it.
“Being a cosplayer myself, it’s basically the perfect holiday for me, and having my little pumpkin cat with me just makes it even better.”
Cheaper than a Lamborghini
Cami’s love of cats predates the followers.
She studied to become a veterinary technician before dropping out of college, and later worked at supermarket chain Kroger.
When the money started coming in from OnlyFans, she skipped the sports car.
“One of the first things I bought was a ragdoll cat,” she said.
“I prefer to have him over a Lamborghini, and he’s cheaper than that.”
Cami says she now earns around $50,000 a month from her online content, and the cats get a $2,000 haul of special foods, toys and attention across the year.
She doesn’t save the spoiling for birthdays or Christmas.
Artemis, the cat she spent real money on, refuses to cooperate.
“Artemis does not like special treats or wet cat food. He hates it,” she said.
“He only likes cheap kibble, dry food. I don’t know why. It’s so frustrating because I want to give him cool different treats and wet food and stuff, but he turns his nose up at it.”
Four cats, four personalities
Jupiter, a calico, startles at loud noises and keeps strangers at a distance.
Mercury, a purebred Siamese, takes life calmly. Kerrigan, a black-and-white tuxedo, is the cuddly one.
“Jupiter only trusts me a hundred percent, nobody else,” Cami said.
“Mercury is pretty docile and trainable. Kerrigan is probably the sweetest, most affectionate one that I have. She warms up to people a lot faster than the others.
“Artemis just thinks he’s the boss of everybody. He thinks he’s the boss of me, and he kind of is.”
‘There’s always somebody throwing up’
Single motherhood has its downsides, even with fur.
“They are high maintenance. They are so messy,” Cami said.
“There’s always somebody throwing up. There’s always somebody screaming for food.
They want canned food every day, but they shouldn’t have it every day.
“It’s way better than having kids, obviously, but they are a handful.”
They have the run of a big house, where Cami lives alone, with beds and toys in every room.
“My cats have it pretty good,” she said.
“They probably get fed too much.”
Any future boyfriend comes second
Cami isn’t ruling out romance. She just isn’t rearranging the household for it.
“If I end up being single with my cats my whole life, that’s fine. And if I meet someone, that’s fine too,” she said.
“But even if I have a boyfriend in the future, my cats are not going anywhere.”
Why It Matters
Cami’s audience follows her for cosplay, but Artemis is the kind of recurring character creators would pay a strategist to invent.
A pet with a personality, a wardrobe and a running bit about his own status gives followers something to come back for that no costume can.
Pet spending keeps climbing, and “pet parent” has largely replaced “owner” for a generation choosing cats over kids, or at least before them.
Halloween is tomorrow. Whether Artemis turns up as a pumpkin, a king or something new, someone at the door will want a photo, and he will act like he hasn’t noticed.
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