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An Idaho woman’s mother-in-law (MIL) was doing the couple a huge favor, pet sitting their cat while they were away.
While checking in on the kitty, along with the couple’s two dogs, the MIL brought the cat inside.
In the clip, captured on a pet cam, the woman places the cat on the couch, where it sits, terrified. Thinking that the pet seems a bit off, the woman gives it a pet before she leaves the house.
In the clip, posted by TikTok user Allison Stamper, as foxtrotxy, and watched 1.3 million times in three days, the family’s dogs are a bit more suspicious than the mother.
As one of the dogs, a German Shepherd, starts barking at the cowering cat, the pet parents begin to realize that something is wrong.
That is not their cat.
“Our cat was hiding in the laundry room,” Stamper explained in the comments section, revealing that her MIL brought in the almost-identical animal, thinking it was the pet that she was supposed to be watching.
Many TikTok users found the incident hilarious, commenting on the dogs’ territorial reaction to the unfamiliar animal, recognizing something was off before the humans around them did.
“The dogs were like, ‘That’s not our sister,'” one person joked.
“I can ALMOST hear the conversation between those two dogs,” another chimed in.
Still, others remarked on how the stray allowed itself to be taken in.
“The cat just allowing itself to be kidnapped to the indoors,” an individual remarked.
‘Cautious and concerned’
Luckily, the original poster (OP) shared that the two cats never met, as she called her MIL to remove the mystery kitty as soon as they realized where their own pet had been hiding.
Similarly to how the dogs lashed out at the intruder, many felines would react badly if faced with what they considered to be an intruder in their territory.
“In the wild, cats only survive if they are successful hunters and if they have a safe and secure individual home range and territory,” Cat Friendly Homes explains.
“Consequently, cats are usually cautious and concerned about intrusions into their area, especially at certain times such as dawn and dusk.”
The resource notes that, even with indoor-only pet cats, who have no need to hunt for their food, this natural instinct takes over when they feel threatened.
“Your cat is fed on a regular basis and does not have a need to hunt for food, but due to their natural instinct to establish a territory, your home must provide an environment that meets all of their needs, including territorial marking.”
Fortunately, a potential altercation between the two cats was avoided, as the family caught the mistake early. Instead, it became a harmless case of mistaken identity that brought them a good laugh.
Next time, however, the couple may ask someone else to care for their pet while they’re away.
Newsweek has reached out to foxtrotxy for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.
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