All cat owners know that it’s the feline who chooses its human, not the other way around — and one cat made it clear that he wasn’t going to give up on his chosen one when he started chasing him around the house.
In a post shared on TikTok in July under the username @sevdha, the poster can be heard saying, “Excuse me, excuse me, who are you?” as a random stray cat they had previously fed aggressively tried to get in the front door, meowing when it wouldn’t open. “We only fed him ONCE,” a caption with the hilarious clip reads.
The poster, Sevdha, said News week that the cat she later named Bowly began chasing her father around their Florida residence after he fed it, making the “biggest mistake of all time” [his] life.”
sevdha.com
“I’m an avid animal lover and I keep a bag of cat food in my car in case I run into a random cat,” she said. “When I drive by my dad’s house, I usually feed the stray cats in the neighborhood, so much so that they recognize my car and fly away when I get in.
“My dad, who owns the home in the video, has always been the typical ‘let’s not get a pet, they’re too much responsibility’ dad. But as is often the case with such dads, he softened over time and even started feeding the cats when I wasn’t around.
“Then one day my dad called me with a bit of panic in his voice. He explained that he had fed a cat he had never seen before, and now it is possibly one of the most serious mistakes of his life. Ever since then, the cat has been a constant thorn in his side.”
According to Sevdha, the cat would constantly cry at her father’s doorstep, and when he ignored her, the cat would follow his movements around the house just to continue yelling at her.
“If my father goes into the kitchen, the cat is already crying at the kitchen window. He goes into the backyard, and the cat is screaming at the back door.”
Exasperated, her father called her for help, as she is the family’s “cat whisperer,” and she immediately went to investigate.
“As soon as I locked eyes with the cat, he clung to me like a barnacle. I now call him ‘Bawly,’ and we’ve been arguing with each other ever since.
“Of all the cats in the neighborhood, the creamsicle kitty you see positioning himself at the end of the video has been my main little man for the past two years. So naturally, he’s trying to protect his territory.”
Unfortunately, since the author of the post doesn’t have her own home and travels all the time as an artist, she can’t take on the responsibility of caring for a cat, so she’s hoping someone with the space and time for him can take him in.
“As much as I would love to have all the kitties in the world, that’s not feasible for me right now. I’m working hard to save up to build a place of my own so that one day I can become the crazy cat lady I’m destined to be.”
Each year, 6.3 million pets enter shelters in the U.S., which is an average of 17,260 per day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters reached 46,807 in January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared to January 2022, the 24Pet Shelter Watch Report found.
The Humane Society of Macomb explains that the most common reasons for surrendering dogs include age, allergies, behavioral issues, cleanliness, cost, moving, new pets, and shedding.
About 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized each year. Shelters are working to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption drives, spay and neuter programs, and behavioral rehabilitation.
The video quickly went viral on social media, garnering viewers from all over TikTok. So far, it has received over 252,900 views and 34,200 likes on the platform.
One user, Afreeleo75, commented: “Feed once, feed forever. That’s the rule. Kitty knows…”
Gretchen Weiners said, “You don’t choose the cat distribution system… the cat distribution system chooses you! (I just got a third kitten last week).”
Melanie Morticia added: “I would be so disappointed if you didn’t take him in after you fed him and he loved you so much.”
Do you have any funny or adorable videos or photos of your pet that you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with a few details about your best friend and they could be featured on our Pet of the Week list.
Uncommon knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
