Norm the Cat was more than a local celebrity — he represented the best of Sacramento

Norm Lopez, who was actually a massive orange tabby cat, has left his perch on a Midtown front porch for the Great Scratching Post in the Sky.

Norm was not just a cat, he was the self-proclaimed “Mayor of Midtown,” which, frankly, still could use his vision and leadership.

On Facebook, Norm boasted 7,100 followers, which ain’t kitty litter.

To put it mildly, Norm was chill. Inert even. Norm was so chill he was even rumored to be dead in 2018, but the rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated. To be specific, he wasn’t dead, although Norm’s periodic (most of the time) outward demeanor might lead one to a different, more sinister conclusion.

If it were possible for a cat to have tattoos and working a frosty tall boy, Norm would be the go-to tabby for that Sactown action. Although it looked like his main dietary intake was doughnuts, pepperoni pizza, and heavier lagers from Track 7, he actually went on a diet and lost a few. Not a lot. A few.

As it sometimes appeared that the porch in Midtown upon which Norm wallowed strained under the immutable physics of irresistible force meets immovable object, another Newtonian Law is more apt: objects in motion stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest.

Indeed, Norm, a law-abiding cat, invariably stayed at rest.

Lolling was Norm’s greatest physical exertion, and he excelled at that. Norm was a true Sacramento animal celeb, the feline Yin to Sutter the First Dog’s Yang.

Norm sent out innumerable signed photos (Norm was well-marketed, but Sacramento loves a good PR effort), and not only that, Norm raised money and awareness for various charitable causes, including the Front Street Animal Shelter. He even helped raise money for the shooting victims at Annapolis’s Capital Gazette newspaper when a gunman killed four dedicated journalists.

Norm was also a Neighborhood Watch kinda guy, too, when he was awake. He would routinely post about lost pets in the neighborhood, or post little aphorisms like, “Let’s all try to love each other a bunch. We only have so much time on this planet and we’re all kinda crazy right now. Luv, Norm.”

Of course Norm could sign off with “luv” and get away with it.

Norm’s favorite activity was getting belly rubs (“rubz,” he called them) from passersby and, most importantly, children. Kids loved Norm, and he was always ready for a quick petting.

Normania may seem corny, but in a place like Sacramento, where people in $3,000 suits and Jimmy Choo heels are running the table of the fifth-largest world economy, Norm was a welcome break. When people credited Sutter with helping to pass a major ballot measure, it’s hard to deny the power of an adorable pet.

Norm was Sacramento’s communal pet. Norm, we luv you, and will miss you and your laid-back, quintessential Sac vibe. You personified, for a cat, what real Sacramento is all about: hangin’ with your buds and enjoying life. Not the suits and Jimmy Choos.

We can haz sorrows about Norm.