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By Rachael O'Connor
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A little girl who showed just how much she missed her pet cat after being away for several weeks has gone viral online.
Isolde, 23, lives in Virginia with her family, which includes a newborn and a one-year-old, and many animals.
As she put it to Newsweek: "We have a lot of animals on the homestead: five cats, 14 rabbits, eight chickens, a goat, two pigs, a couple of parakeets—and a partridge in a pear tree, haha!"
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She says her toddler daughter, whose name she chose not to give, is being encouraged and taught to "interact with and care for them safely, responsibly, and compassionately at an age-appropriate pace."
And it's clear her daughter is already an animal lover, as a video of her being reunited with their cat, Arson, has gone viral, boasting over 1.7 million likes since being shared to her TikTok account @iso_nat_and in January.
Over the video, Isolde wrote: "We've been out of town for a few weeks... our daughter really missed the cat."
The short clip showed the toddler walking right up to the tabby and scooping her up gently in her arms, before strolling down the hallway and into another room with her, carrying her expertly despite the cat almost being the same size as her.
And as for Arson the cat, she took it all in her stride, going limp and allowing herself to be carried.
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Thousands of TikTok users commented on the video, with one writing: "That's a very tolerant cat," and another saying the cat "adores this child. You can see it in her body language."
"I don't know what I should be impressed with more: The baby being strong enough to carry a cat her size or the cat letting her without claws/protest," another pointed out.
And as one put it: "Oh that cat LOVES that baby lol."
Some praised the toddler, and her parents, with one writing: "I'll be so honest though I've never seen a baby pick up a cat as appropriately as they can while being a baby like your baby, I love this video."
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Parents can ensure their young children learn to interact safely and respectfully with cats, with an article from Catster recommending parents supervise all interactions, and consider scheduling times for the baby and animal to interact in order to establish boundaries.
Teaching the child where on the cat's body is appropriate to pet and never to chase the animal, learning to understand the cat's body language, and teaching them how to hold the cat without injuring it or stressing it out are all important milestones for a child to learn.
Isolde told Newsweek she was "very excited to see my daughter reunited with her furry best friend.
"I was also proud to see her carefully pick Arson up the way we've been teaching her to."
She added: "We definitely love and cherish every single one of our furry and feathered friends."
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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