A cat owner has gone viral at her hysterical reaction to her cat acting—well, very un-cat-like.
Jess Single, 31, who posts to TikTok under the username @__jessicuhhh, owns three cats: Cheddar, Smokey, and Willow.
The trio often make appearances on Single’s page, but now a video of Single and her husband in hysterics at Cheddar as he tried out a new pose has gone mega-viral, bringing tens of millions of viewers to her page.
In a clip posted in January, Single can be heard laughing and exclaiming: “What is happening?” as her husband lets out an astounded: “Woah.”
And the reason behind it? Cheddar the cat is standing on his hind legs, his back straight and his arms by his side. He is watching something carefully, and moves his head and body around to keep track of it—but never once appears to need to sit back down like a regular cat.
Instead, at multiple points, he gets even taller, almost hopping on the spot.
His owners record the moment while still commenting on the bizarre situation, with Single repeating: “What is happening? What is happening?!” until both she and her husband are in hysterical laughter.
Single wrote in the caption: “My cat is evolving.”
TikTok users had fun with the video—which has been viewed more than 20 million times and liked more than 5 million times—with some people using AI or photo editing software to add their own twist to the story.
One user dressed the standing-up-straight cat in a shirt, tie and briefcase, writing “he’s getting ready for work,” while another dressed him in boots and gave him a sword, in a nod to Puss In Boots.
Another commenter laughed at how Cheddar had become “vertical,” but another had the burning question: “Forget Cheddar what was he looking at?”
While Cheddar’s vertical stance was impressive, it’s not all too unusual for a cat to stand on their hind legs.
According to veterinarian Meaghan Thomas, speaking to Rover, cats standing up is not a natural stance, and something will usually prompt it: they may stand to stretch their limbs, to scope out a potential threat, to get a better look at something that interests them, or to reach out for a treat.
A cat may also stand to get their owners’ attention, or ask for affection. Munchkin cats, which are known for their shorter legs, are known to stand more often, as they can balance their upper body while sitting on their hind legs.
Newsweek has contacted @__jessicuhhh via TikTok for comment on this story.
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