A woman who rescues and fosters cats has melted hearts on social media after sharing a video of how one of her new kittens decided to greet her once she took him home.
In the viral clip, shared on TikTok earlier in November under the username Kittyboyandfriends, the white and grey kitten can be seen climbing all over his new mom, meowing at her as if he wanted to thank her for giving him a place to live.
In a previous clip, she explained that she saw him along with two other cats at a shelter, looking messy and depressed, and decided to bring them all home with her.
A caption shared with the clip explains: The second I brought him home from the shelter, this is how he greeted me." Followed by: "This little poop gremlin may only weigh half a pound, but he is MIGHTY! Also, don't worry. I fed him right after this."
Shelters across the country are overwhelmed with pets and the majority of them are cats. According to the International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA), the most common reason for people giving up their cat is house soiling.
"Unfortunately this very common and disturbing problem can make living with a cat very difficult if we are not prepared to understand what causes the problem and willing to find a solution," their website explained.
Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet 'Shelter Watch Report' found.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 803,800 views and 107,000 likes on the platform.
@kittyboyandfriends This little poop gremlin may only weigh half a pound, but he is MIGHTY! 😅🤭 Also, don’t worry. I fed him right after this 🥰
♬ original sound - Grace Choi
One user, chi11wi1181, said: "Oh he's a happy kitty! I bet he wants to head boop you so bad." And Harriet Duranthon said: "Wisp has some serious competition now."
Melody F H wrote: "He said mommy mommy I feel achy because I feel dirty. Please give me a bath mommy."
Newsweek reached out to Kittyboyandfriends for comment via TikTok chat. We could not verify the details of the case.
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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Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, ... Read more
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