Animals bring us joy in many forms, whether it's thanks to their constant companionship, goofy behavior or fancy outfits.
One woman who is greeted by her cat every day after work has shared one of their sweet reunions on TikTok.
The video posted by Ksenia Stassiouk, a 33-year-old filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada , begins with a shot of the woman's hallway as she approaches her apartment. Her husband appears at the end of the corridor, but has his back to the camera. As the woman gets closer, he places Feta, a nine-year-old lynx point Siamese rescue cat on the floor. The animal immediately runs towards the woman meowing, and it is revealed that the cat is wearing a hotdog costume.
"That's the best life right there," commented one TikTok user.
"I work in film as a script supervisor which involves minimum 12-hour days on set," Stassiouk told Newsweek. "I'm often out of the house for 14 hours a day. Filming is often very tough and very stressful and my husband Spencer and Feta look forward to me getting back."
"Spencer will track my location when I'm heading back and will try to time it so he can meet me in the hall with Feta (who loves to escape the apartment and flop on the hall carpet)," she added. "It started as them just being out when I came home. Then getting a little silly with it—standing in front of the elevator doors when they opened, holding Feta upside down or backwards… to what it is now, when every night they look forward to a new prank."
Despite their aloof reputation, cats can provide a lot of comfort. "For many people, cats offer social companionship without the fear of judgement," according to Modern Cat magazine. "Having a cat around can prevent loneliness and depression and even improve your mood in general."
Despite cat owners' staunch defense of their pets, many people believe dogs make better companions. A 2021 study, called "Pet-Human Relationships: Dogs versus Cats" and published in the journal Animals, found "participants indicated greater emotional closeness with their dogs than with their cats, indicating that people perceived greater social support, companionship and unconditional love with their dogs."
However, the research also found that cat owners spent more time interacting with their pets than dog owners and "felt that the relationship with their cats was less expensive, required less responsibility, and involved less restrictions in [owners'] daily activities."
The study looked at owners' relationships with pets in terms of social exchange theory—the idea that "relationships are maintained only when the perceived cost and benefits are balanced or when perceived benefits are greater than the costs."
Based on the balance between costs and benefits, the researchers "found that the relationship overall was better with cats."
"Working such long hours really takes all headspace and time," said Stassiouk, "But when I come home and find them being silly, I just laugh! It just reboots my brain! What else matters when your cat is a warm little hot dog."
Stassiouk revealed that Feta has accidentally surprised a few people thinking they were her.
"Spencer can't know whether I'm in an elevator with others and people have been spooked/delighted to find a cat hovering outside the elevator doors," she said, "Feta also loves visiting other people's apartments when they try to leave. We have forced our way into four apartments in the hall. Not everyone is always delighted by this!"
The video has been viewed 2.9 million times, and the woman who filmed her homecoming certainly has emotional closeness with her cat—as TikTok users pointed out.
"That's a dream right there man. Wholesome," commented one viewer. "Oh my God that little hotdog is happy to see you!!" posted another.
Update 6/30/23, 11:17 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Ksenia Stassiouk, a new video and a new picture.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Leonie Helm is a Newsweek Life Reporter and is based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on all things ... Read more
