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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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A cat owner has shared the hilarious moment her furry friend meets another cat for the first time. His reaction is priceless.
The viral clip shared by @maciisabella has 6.9 million views since it was posted on February 22.
A tabby cat can be seen sheepishly creeping around a sofa, where an 8-month-old rescued kitten is sitting. The TikTok user's cat occasionally attempts to take a closer look to the kitten but appears too frightened to get too close.
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The cat then manages to sneak around the sofa and the kitten doesn't notice, leaving TikTokers in stitches.
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Tips to Help Introduce a Cat to Another Cat
Dr. Anna Foreman, an in-house vet at Everypaw Pet Insurance, provided Newsweek with the following tips:
- Keep the new cat separate from the original cat when introducing them to the house. Let them settle into one room with all of their amenities present (litter tray, water, access to food) will firstly not overwhelm them with stimuli, but also allow the original cat to sniff at the door and detect the presence of another animal there without being able to access them.
- When introducing the two cats to one another, it should be done with a barrier that they can see and smell each other through, but not touch each other. This will allow them to assess one another without the risk of a fight breaking out. The use of a pheromonal spray which is proven to reduce tension in multi-cat households, such as Feliway Friends, is beneficial to use in this scenario.
- Once you have gauged the two cats' reactions to one another, it will guide the next step. If they are very interested, and not showing signs of aggression (ears back, hissing, tail swishing, spitting, etc.) then they may be introduced together, after a few sessions. If they are showing signs of aggression, they should be introduced in this fashion a number more times until they are more used to each other's presence. Leaving them together with this sort of access for a longer single period may also help them to get used to one another. Some cats will simply not tolerate the presence of another cat, and if no progress is being made it may be dangerous to introduce the two.
- A neutral territory should be used for a face-to-face introduction (i.e. not the original cat's resting or eating area), as this will eliminate the original cat's worry about a resource threat. The cats may initially have a small hierarchy struggle (for example, the older/original cat hisses or hits the other cat to exert dominance). Usually, kittens will submit to an older cat—the trouble comes if both cats are quite dominant, as this may then lead to a fight.
What Do the Comments Say?
The viral clip has 1.3 million likes and more than 3,480 comments. One user said: "The other cat not knowing what the big deal is."
"It's like he doesn't know he's a cat himself," said another person.
Another person said: "That is the cutest interaction ever."
Newsweek reached out to @maciisabella for comment. 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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