'Depressed' Cat's Transformation After Meeting New Kitten Melts Hearts

A video of a cat that showed signs of depression opening up to a new kitten in the home has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip was recently shared by Mango&Hera (@mangomainecoon), the TikTok account of two Maine coon cats, and has had 5.3 million views. The footage shows various shots of the two cats interacting, from lying down and sitting together to cuddling.

Mady Mondan, a 34-year-old therapist from Romania, told Newsweek that she and her partner got Mango, who is a year and a half old, while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said Mango began showing signs of depression after she returned to work at the office and had him examined by multiple veterinarians.

Interest in pet adoptions surged worldwide during the early phase of the pandemic, according to a May 2021 study in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

One in three people—and almost one in two from Generation Z (those born from 1996 to 2012)—said they got a new pet during the pandemic, according to a March 2021 survey conducted by market research firm OnePoll, in partnership with Banfield Pet Hospital based in Portland, Oregon.

Mondan said the veterinarians "all took blood tests, heart tests, liver tests, and everything they could test, and they discovered he was in perfect physical health."

The therapist said the veterinarians pointed out that "Maine coons are very sociable breeds" and "they need almost constant attention."

They explained "that the reason he had these symptoms was because he got used to being with us all the time during the pandemic and when we went back to work he started feeling lonely. That's when we decided to get a friend for him."

Can Cats Get Depressed?

Mondan told Newsweek that once the couple left for work, Mango would hide in a corner. He wouldn't want to be petted and wasn't interested in treats, "even though he was obsessed with them."

During the eight hours that the couple were away at work during the day, "he wouldn't drink, eat or used the toilet at all" and "it was very hard to move him because he was in a immobile state."

"Yes, your cat can get depressed," veterinarian Dr. Wailani Sung said in a September 2021 article for PetMD.

She explained that "it's impossible to know if they experience the mental state of sadness, but we can observe their behaviors to determine whether they experience a lack of interest in life and may be suffering from depression."

Below are some situations that can causes cats to exhibit signs of depression, as noted by Sung:

• Loss of a family member
• Moving to a new house
• A change in the family's schedule
• A change in physical health

Signs of Depression in Cats

Felines experiencing depression may show the following symptoms, as outlined by Sung on the aforementioned PetMD article.

• A decreased appetite
• A loss of interest in playing with their toys
• Less interest in interacting with their pet housemates or family members
• Increased vocalizations
• A decreased interest in going outdoors if access is allowed
• More time spent sleeping
• Less time spent grooming, having an unkept coat or mats
• Increased frequency of urination in the litter box
• House soiling or not consistently using their litter box.

Some cats may also show these symptoms if they have an underlying health problem, so it's important to have your pet examined by a veterinarian, Sung advised in the PetMD article.

'Like Watching a Love Story'

Mondan said they got Hera, who is 9 months old, back in August and "it was love at first sight between them."

She noted that "it took them a couple of hours to adapt, he was hissing her a little bit, but in a couple of days, they were best friends...for us, watching them love and hug each other is like watching a love story from a movie."

Getting a kitten was the "best decision we ever made," says a caption shared with the latest viral clip.

A message overlaid on the video says: "We got a kitten for our cat because he was depressed and this is how it went." The footage begins with a woman releasing their grey-haired kitten Hera from a cat carrier in a living room setting, while Mango is shown lying on the floor.

The cat appears to ignore Hera initially, turning away from it and watching it from afar. Mango later appears to sniff the tail of the kitten, who is shown on the floor in a belly-up position.

The video later shows various shots of the cat duo interacting with each other, from snuggling, and snoozing together to looking out a window, while Mango is seen grooming Hera.

Since Hera's arrival, "Mango never showed any of the symptoms [of depression] again," she said, adding that the cat siblings are regularly checked by veterinarians and are in "perfect health" and are "happy and full of energy."

According to Mondan, "Mango has even more energy than before because of her and he is more affectionate than he was before having her. It's like she showed him how to love us even more."

Users on TikTok were moved by the cat's transformation in the latest viral clip.

Notorious said: "Crying, they are best friends, so happy."

You Don't Know Me noted: "He looks so much happier."

Mister Cleanup wrote: "The kitten needed him just as much as he needed her."

The original poster replied: "I have goosebumps. Someone said to us that their souls chose each other before they met and that made me cry so much."

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.