A Toronto cat named Rudy threw a dinnertime tantrum, berating his owner for not dishing up his meal early enough in a viral video.
The clip, shared in September by @clairesjeon, shows the tabby cat screaming and meowing back at his owner as she tries to explain to him that it is still not time to eat.
“POV [point of view]: feeding my cat his dinner. 7:53pm,” reads layover text in the clip as the poster warns her pet: “Just because you’re screaming at me doesn’t mean you’re going to get your dinner any faster Rudy. Maybe I’ll give you your dinner later if you keep screaming at me.”
Three minutes later, at 7:56 p.m., the cat is back at it, crying and shouting, but his owner won’t feed him a minute before 8 p.m.
“Pov: you feed my cat, Rudy, his dinner. Cat tantrums and conversation ensue,” reads a caption shared with the viral clip.
Some users, could clearly see through the cat’s nonsense, and one user, Lenna, called it out for what it was, “So dramatic.” Even the poster acknowledged it: “He’s going to Juilliard [private performing arts conservatory] next year.”
If you are a cat owner, you know how tempting it is to give your feline that extra treat when they are looking at you with loving eyes, but constant overfeeding can cause serious health issues, like obesity and diabetes.
How much to feed your cat depends on a variety of factors, including their age, gender, and mostly, their breeding status (intact or spayed/neutered), according to an article written by Dr. Barri J. Morrison for PetMD.
Kittens usually need more food than adults because they are still developing, but once they reach a year of age, which is when they reach their long-term weight, their needs diminish, and so should their portions.
Senior cats should eat even less than adults because they are much less active, and it is extremely important for them to be in a good physical shape to live a long, healthy life.
A cat rests next to his dinner bowl, begging for food. A clip of a tabby begging for food as soon as he realized it was dinner time went viral on social media.
Getty Images
This doesn’t mean that you can’t give your pet a treat every now and then. While they should not be a daily part of your cat’s diet, the occasional treat won’t hurt them if given cautiously.
The U.K. charity Cats Protection suggests hiding treats inside their toys to make them happy and increase their activity levels at the same time, and if you think this treat goes over their daily calories allowance, you can decrease the portion of their next meal.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 1 million views and more than 137,900 likes on the platform.
Newsweek reached out to @clairesjeon for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.
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