A cat owner devised a hilarious way to scare their cat from going outside, and the internet can’t get over it.
In a viral video shared on TikTok in September by @romeothepurrince, the poster can be seen holding the cat up in the rain, just outside their front door—and the cat doesn’t seem to like it.
“Traumatizing him so he won’t have the urge to go outside,” reads layover text in the clip. And a caption shared with the post says: “He’s safe with us.”
The video quickly went viral on TikTok. It has received over 2 million views and 284,400 likes on the platform so far.
One user, Andressa, commented: “He looks intrigued not traumatized.”
TikToker UncleBird said, “Don’t think your traumatizing him, he’s being encouraged lol he’s like ‘oh hells yeah I’m going out tonight.”
Commenter TheFluffy2 wrote, “I tried this…I only let my cats out when it rained ,now when it rains they cry at the door and run outside.”
While the outdoors can entice your cat’s natural instincts, it can also be a very unsafe place for them, exposing them to all sorts of dangers, from cars running over them to animal fights and infectious diseases, to name a few.
That’s why experts suggest keeping your felines safe at home or allowing them out in the yard or a catio, where they are secure under your supervision. It’s also important to microchip your pet in case it gets lost or runs away and ensure it’s always up to date on its vaccinations and flea/worm treatments.
Cats don’t just hate rain; they hate water in general. While this can be a natural feature for them, since their ancestors evolved in dry, desert areas and were not used to water, the experts at Catster explain that there can be other reasons behind our felines’ aversion to water.
If your cat has never been exposed to water, they may feel overwhelmed by not knowing what to do or how to behave around it. A bad experience can also be the reason why your cat hates water.
This fear can also be caused by genetics. Some cat breeds are more prone to like water than others. Breeds like Maine Coon, Turkish Van, Turkish Angora, Savannah Cat, Bengal, and Manx all love water and don’t mind the occasional bath.
Stock image of a cat observing the rain from a window. A cat owner came up with a hilarious way to make sure her cat knows not to go outside.
Getty Images
Newsweek reached out to @romeothepurrince for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
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