Cat With Brain Condition Has Adorable Reaction When Owner Returns Home

Cat owners sure miss their pets while on holiday, but do they feel the same about us? A feline called Phin has melted hearts on social media after his owners shared his reaction to seeing them again after their vacation.

In a December post shared on TikTok under username @orangeisthenewblackandtan, the ginger cat can be seen on the bed. He runs towards his owners as soon as they come through the door, wiggling his body in excitement, meowing loudly at them, like he has lots to tell them. The heartwarming clip comes with a caption that reads: "Just a bit excited to greet us after we return from travel!"

The poster added: "Phin was born with a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia! This means his cerebellum never fully developed, so he's missing a lot of neurons important for proper coordination. It doesn't get worse or better over time, and it's not treatable, but it isn't painful, and he's a very happy cat despite his disability!"

VCA Animal Hospitals experts say that cerebellar hypoplasia is a developmental condition; the portion of the brain that controls fine motor skills, balance and coordination fails to develop properly. However, it is not painful or contagious.

The condition most commonly occurs when a pregnant cat becomes infected with feline panleukopenia virus and passes the infection to her unborn kittens.

The video quickly went viral on social media, drawing viewers from across Instagram. It has so far received over 1.8 million likes on the platform.

One user, an.gie108, commented: "Ahh poor baby, so hard to see him like this." And sirramir0 posted: "How can people hate cats look at him he's adorable." User janathehusky added: "he has so much to tell you awww."

Viewer yj_k15 wrote: "HURRY! CUDDLE HIMMM!!!!" And blendedpanda commented: "I wonder what he's trying to say, I played the audio around my cats for the first time and they both came running like I shook the treat bag."

Another user, moana.and.snapple, posted: "Where the heck have you guys been! And more importantly, did you bring any treats home Hoomans [humans]?!?" And dan.tindley added: "I didn't know the scouse cat was wobbly."

Viewer caauwemissy added: "I just adopted a kitten with cerebellar hypoplasia...he is perfect to me!"

Newsweek reached out to @orangeisthenewblackandtan for comment via Instagram comments. We could not verify the details of the case.

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