A cat named Funny welcomes guests by tapping a bell. Photo: Screenshot from Sina Weibo
The kitten, named “Funny” in English, was adopted by Yu, the owner of the coffee shop, from a pet shop three years ago, as the last unsold kitten of her litter. "She was just over two months old and looked so pitiful. I couldn’t leave her there," Yu recalled, according to gmw.cn, a media outlet affiliated to the Guangming Daily.
Videos of Funny enthusiastically welcoming guests by tapping a bell and triggering pre-recorded messages like "Second floor! Two VIP guests!" and "Welcome to our café" have gone viral online. Amused netizens flooded the comments, with some joking, "Give her a cat treat now—I’ll pay for it!" while others wondered, "How is this even possible for a kitten?"
Funny’s bell-ringing skills developed unexpectedly when she was about five months old. Yu had bought her a toy with a button that played a sound when pressed. Funny quickly learned how to use it, to get attention for play time or treats.
The coffee shop owner also mentioned that he had prerecorded multiple versions of scripted phrases, with the most popular being the playful line triggered by the cat’s bell press, "Welcome to our shop!" — as if the kitten itself were speaking.
Dubbed the "chosen greeter" by netizens, Funny never slacks off. "She rushes to ring the bell whenever someone passes by," Yu said, noting that customers often reward her with treats. When asked if Funny earns a salary, Yu joked, "She’s the real boss here. Without her, the coffee shop wouldn’t have so many guests."
Funny’s repertoire isn’t limited to greeting guests. Yu said future will showcase her other skills, like shaking paws, sitting, lying down, and rolling over. "She’s incredibly clever—we’ll let her show off more soon," he said.
