In a viral Reddit post, a family went camping in the countryside when they got interrupted by a “wild animal,” and internet users can’t cope with what it is.
A slideshow of pictures shared in October under the username u/AmazingHamster7350, shows the poster’s husband sitting on a camping chair with a big, fluffy calico cat chilling on top of him, acting as if they are his family.
“Was camping with my family and a ‘wild’ animal jumped into my lap,” the poster says in the caption. “My first interaction with this cat was funny, we were sitting by the campfire when all of a sudden an animal jumped into my lap.
“My husband was laughing at my reaction because I was scared it might have been a raccoon and I explained I thought it was an animal which he laughed and said ‘well it is.’ The next night I awoke to find her in our bed while it was raining outside.”
The poster named the cat Ember, and briefly considered taking her home, before discovering the truth about her.
The poster said: “Really considered taking her home with us since she spent so much time in our bed but found out from the property owners her real name was Liona. We truly enjoyed the time she spent with us.”
Outdoor cats are not all strays. Some may have wandered away from their homes, and others may be ferals, which are known for being unfriendly and potentially dangerous. So how can you tell when a feline is a stray?
The charity Cats Protection says that, to distinguish a stray from a feral cat, you should look for key signs. Strays may appear underweight, often roam alone, and tend to hang around homes. Feral cats, on the other hand, live in colonies, and tend to avoid people as much as they can.
If the feline is friendly, place them in a carrier and take them to a veterinarian to check for a microchip. Before adopting a cat, always try to reunite them with their family if they have one.
If there is no microchip, and nobody comes to claim them, then you can officially make them a part of your family. Experts suggest microchipping them, so, next time they go roaming around, they will be returned back home to you.
The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 6,500 upvotes and 53 comments on the platform.
One user, Arthur2_shedsJackson, commented: “She was just being a nice host and making sure you had a great experience.”
Far-Dimension3508 posted: “She’s the welcome wagon just randomly popping up to ensure everyone and everything is ok so she can mooch about to her heart’s content.”
Newsweek reached out to u/AmazingHamster7350 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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