By Sophie Goble
One curious critter, beloved by all Washingtonians and animal lovers alike, was spotted leaving his Seattle neighborhood this past weekend. Jimothy the raccoon, known for his small stature, rose to fame this past summer after a video of him was posted on Instagram. Now, his whereabouts are tracked closely.
9:00 a.m.
The Tacoma News Tribune reported via X that Jimothy was spotted on Pierce County Transit security cameras deboarding the 594 bus coming from Seattle, arriving in Grit City at the Tacoma Dome station. Half an hour later, eyewitnesses on Fizz stated that Jimothy was seen sauntering through North Quad, near Schiff, where he enveloped himself in a surrounding area bush. First-years attempted to lure him out of hiding with leftover S.U.B. rations, but he did not budge.
10:15 a.m.
After regrouping from his travels, Jimothy was seen stealthily entering through a side window of Collins Memorial Library by Tyler Hinton (‘27), who was leading a tour of the University’s campus at the time. “I’m not sure how he got up there in the first place,” Hinton exclaimed, later theorizing that Jimothy had assistance. Hinton said he heard “loud meowing” coming from the bushes below. Later accounts from Collins staff confirm that Blu, a grey cat beloved on campus, was spotted assisting Jimothy in his unlawful entry.
Recently convicted of breaking and entering, Collins Memorial Library has instituted a ban on any creatures entering the premises, a direct result of Blu’s actions. Signage at the entryway of the library asks, “Have you seen this cat?” Additionally, it states that patrons should absolutely “Not let him in,” accompanied by a mugshot of Blu. It is still unknown what the motive behind the trespassing was; however, library staff and patrons were largely unaffected by this incident.
11:40 a.m.
Merely an hour later, Blu and Jimothy were seen again, this time stalking the exterior of Oppenheimer Cafe. Ari “Radioactive” Moll (‘28) and Morgan Cottrill (‘27) saw Jimothy walk into the cafe undetected by DES staff. Cottrill noted that Blu was the “wettest and scrappiest” cat/creature she had ever seen. After crawling through a rear window, Blu unfortunately sipped on a banana cream matcha, alerting students to his presence. A crowd gathered around the furry friend, leaving room for Jimothy to escape with a slew of bagels with cream cheese awaiting pickup from the mobile orders shelf. When asked about this heist, Moll asserted that she didn’t believe Blu and Jimothy did anything wrong. “Even though he stole 13 Flex dollars worth of bagels, I don’t blame him.”
1:00 p.m.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife classifies raccoons as “opportunistic omnivores.” According to them, a raccoon such as Jimothy may eat up to five pounds of food per day. Though delicious, these stolen baked goods weren’t enough to fuel Jimothy’s cravings; he was seen hitching a ride on a golf cart to Sustainability Services, where he crawled under numerous dumpsters, according to CCTV footage sourced by Security Services.
2:00 p.m.
No one knows how exactly these creatures got into the fieldhouse, especially the highly trained personnel at the front desk. Gabbi Hinrichs (‘28), who was in the gym at the time, had to jump around both Jimothy and Blu, who were circling around the StairMaster in a manner that appeared as if they were “staking their claim.”
Jimothy is suspected to have spondylocostal dysostosis, or potentially short spine syndrome, according to medical researchers in the raccoon and possum fields. According to Hinrichs, Jimothy was notably slower than Blu, who is known for his agility; however, she found his commitment to getting a “bootylicious pump” “inspiring.”
At this time, Security Services released a statement regarding the creatures. The statement, verbatim, is as follows:
At 10:00 this morning, Security Services was first notified of Jimothy the raccoon arriving on campus. We have received reports of trespassing and stealing from University outlets, distracting students and community members with cuteness, and other shenanigans. Jimothy is likely accompanied by Blu, a shiny grey cat. At this time, we do not recommend that you approach these animals until they have received proper identification to ensure safety for all.
Following the release of this statement, campus quickly devolved into a frenzy; students left the safety of their own dorms and skipped lectures to search for Jimothy.
4:00 p.m.
The pair was not seen for a few hours until they appeared in Wheelock Student Center. Ainsley Phillips (‘27) and Anabel Broberg (‘28) spoke to The Trail about an unlikely interruption during their weekly KUPS show, “Mix The Jam.” Phillips recalled hearing “chittering and scratching” at the entrance to the booth; upon opening the door, Jimothy — wearing a Puget Sound onesie — entered. Blu sauntered behind.
“It was so surprising, but really exciting,” Broberg said. Phillips agreed. Both Phillips and Broberg had been following the saga throughout the day.
Phillips is a self-proclaimed Jimothy lover and welcomed the pair into the booth. “Blu took charge right away. He sprang up onto the counter and started pressing buttons,” Phillips said. After 10 minutes of an unlikely human-animal radio collaboration, Broberg sneezed, scaring Blu, and the creatures scrambled out the door.
Broberg stated sadly, “We don’t know if we’re going to see him again.” Phillips followed up, “We’re grateful that he joined us.”
When asked about any lasting recollections from this day, Broberg shared that Jimothy “really responded to the work of Slayyyter.”
6:45 p.m.
The pair’s last official sighting was near Todd Field, where Jimothy and Blu walked side by side, taking in the beautiful sights and sounds of campus. A resident of Todd-Phibbs shared that Jimothy and Blu seemed “bonded in friendship” before they eventually parted ways near the Todd Field lesbian meetup trees.
Jimothy has not been back to Puget Sound as far as we are aware, but the campus would be happy to see him back.