A woman suffering from chronic pain has explained how her cat soothes her, melting the hearts of social media users.
Delilah, a rescue cat, has become an internet sensation by “making biscuits” on her owner’s lower abdomen, a comforting act that has garnered 1.1 million likes and 3.7 million views.
“She’s always there when you need her. Giving you purrs and making biscuits in any place you may be hurting. If she hears someone crying, she’ll run right up to start soothing you by rubbing her head on your face,” CeCe, who uses the handle @bun3yg1rl on TikTok, told Newsweek.
Screenshots from a TikTok video showing Delilah kneading her owner. The cat helps CeCe when she is facing severe symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome and fibroids.
bun3yg1rl/bun3yg1rl
For those unfamiliar with the term, “making biscuits” refers to the kneading motion cats make with their paws, which looks like they are kneading dough.
This behavior is a sign of contentment and comfort, often seen when cats are relaxed or seeking to comfort their owners.
Delilah’s owner has polycystic ovary syndrome and fibroids, conditions that cause severe pelvic pain and other symptoms.
PCOS is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges, while fibroids are benign (noncancerous) growths in the uterus that can lead to pain, heavy menstrual bleeding and impaired fertility.
Although both conditions affect the reproductive system, their causes and symptoms are different, making management and treatment complex.
In the TikTok video, Delilah is seen kneading CeCe’s abdomen, where she experiences the most pain.
“The only thing that helps is pressure on my ovaries,” CeCe wrote in a text overlay. “Today I was crying because of the pain when she came to do this.”
Cats are known to be sensitive to their owners’ emotions and physical well-being.
According to experts, cats can sense pain in humans through their keen observation of behavioral changes and possibly even through subtle changes in body chemistry.
This heightened sensitivity allows them to act in ways that may comfort or soothe their owners.
CeCe said she found Delilah on a small North Carolina island where she lived in August 2023, and she has been by her side ever since, through multiple states and homes.
The comments section of the viral video was flooded with similar stories from other cat owners. “I have PCOS & my cat does this for me too,” one viewer wrote.
Another added: “That’s so sweet. My cat jumped with her full weight onto my throat as I slept last night because she was hungry!”
One commenter said: “One time I had a migraine for 3 days straight, and I was in agony. My girl cat crawled up and laid around my head and neck, purring. Within 10 minutes, it was gone and didn’t return.”
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