An optical illusion of a cat looking out the window is going viral online, as the perfect angle and lighting turned the feline into a "mythical tree creature."
Anyone with a cat knows how much they love spending hours looking out of windows, watching the world go by.
That appears to be what one cat was doing on an overcast day, when someone snapped a photo of them. They managed to capture the perfect moment where the cat's face is visible, yet the reflection of a tree outside merges with the animal.
The mash-up has resulted in a fierce-looking being with the face of a cat and branches for a body, with the top of the tree doubling as the feline's head.
The resulting photo was shared to Reddit's Oddly Satisfying forum by Deathakissaway, who captioned the majestic image: "Cat looking out a window becomes a mythical tree creature."
Numerous people compared the cat to animated character The Grinch, owing to its triangular-shaped head.
"I thought it was The Grinch," CannaPLUS admitted.
Randomnumber529 thought: "Looks like The Grinch."
Agreeing, Comicfan285 said: "Immediately thought Jim Carrey as the Grinch."
Since being shared on Wednesday the snap has amassed more than 48,000 upvotes, as Qvantamon wrote: "Looks ready to march on Isengard."
Emsicely raved: "Kind of like double exposure! Cool shot."
MagicCoffeeBeanSpaz commented: "My 5 year old has made me look at this photo for the last 5 minutes. He's never laughed so hard."
Organic-Octopus joked: "It's a Catmas tree!"
0pleasenothanks0 noted: "It's the perfect blend of foliage and feline hehe."
While Thewarondrugsisalie added: "This is my new spirit animal."
Newsweek reached out to Deathakissaway for comment.
Statistics from the American Veterinary Medical Association revealed cats are the second most popular domestic pet, behind dogs.
Sharing statistics from 2017-2018, they claimed there are more than 58 million cats living with American families, with over 25 percent of households owning at least one cat.
But they're not cheap, with figures from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals suggesting it costs around $634 a year, or $53 a month, to keep a cat.
Expensive as they are, they're incredibly entertaining, as it's not the first time cats have been the stars of an optical illusion.
One feline sat at a dining table baffled the internet earlier this year, getting more than 17,000 upvotes online.
The photo, posted to Reddit by user Spacexcake, shows the cat sitting at a table against a cream chair, making it appear as if they're embroidered onto the cushion.
While a woman holding a cat caused a stir online, after it looked as if her arm as going straight through the animal.
The snap, posted to Reddit by user Francis__99, amassed more than 25,000 upvotes, and was captioned: "My sister's hand passing through my cat's body."
