‘Never Leaving My House Again’

A woman checking in on her cat via a pet camera was left heartbroken after she saw the way her feline friend was behaving.

Though they might appear aloof and decidedly independent compared with dogs, there is ample evidence to suggest that cats are not only attached to their owners but actually miss them when they are gone.

A 2017 study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE saw researchers analyze the behavior of cats after being left alone for 30 minutes compared with several hours.

They found that when the cats were left alone for a longer period of time, they reacted by purring and stretching more around their owners when eventually reunited. The study concluded that this affectionate behavior was an indication that the cats were happy their human companion was home.

The evidence to suggest cats miss their owners is not restricted to the world of science though. There are plenty of real-life examples too.

Alyssa Collins from Orange County, California, took to TikTok to share the footage that greeted her when she decided to look in on her adorably fluffy cat Juni.

In a video posted under the handle lyssielooloo, Collins tells followers: “I am never leaving my house again.” The clip then cuts to pet cam footage of Juni walking up the hallway of Collins’ house with something in her mouth, meowing forlornly.

Juni appears to look in the doorway of one room, as if searching for her owner, before resting on the hallway rug where she continues to vocalize her apparent anguish.

The video then cuts back to Collins, evidently emotional over the footage, who says “mark my words” before the video ends.

Newsweek has contacted Alyssa Collins on TikTok and via email for comment.

At the time of writing, the video of Juni’s apparent cries for help or attention has been watched 22.2 million times, having evidently struck a chord with fellow cat owners and animal lovers alike who flocked to comment on the clip.

“Ok stop I’m sobbing. Get Juni a sibling,” one user wrote.

Another commented: “Please get a backpack for Juni so you can take her everywhere.”

A third joked, “my cat does this when I’m home,” while a fourth added: “I refuse to get a camera for this reason.”

One cat owner, however, insisted that what Collins witnessed may not have been what she thought it was.

“It’s ok my cat does this,” they said. “She just thinks she’s hunting her toy. my cat yowls with it in her mouth like prey.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.