A video of a “scaredy” cat’s reaction to being serenaded on her birthday has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was shared by @unruly.girl and has 2.6 million views since it was post two days ago.
A message overlaid on the clip reads: “Throwing my scaredy cat a party for her 4th birthday.” The footage shows a small cake with a lit candle on it presented on a platter in front of a cat that’s sitting up on a floor.
The feline stares down at the cake as voices are heard singing the “Happy Birthday” tune in the background. The cat suddenly looks up and flinches, appearing startled, and later walks away from the cake, while the singing continues, before the video ends.
A caption shared with the post says: “happy bday gary who hates fire and loud noises. but she loved my frozen churu cake.”
Pets can have a fearful or phobic response associated with people, pets, sounds, objects or environments.
A fear is an emotion triggered by the perception of a threat, while a phobia is “a persistent, exaggerated fear response that may be so extreme it is debilitating,” explained veterinarians Ellen Lindell, Kenneth Martin, Debra Horwitz and Gary Landsberg in an article for VCA, one of North America’s largest animal hospital chains.
Pets may associate fear with an innocuous trigger. For example, if a loud noise occurs nearby while a cat is using its litter box, the feline may become frightened and refuse to use the litter box again. Fear responses can result from just one exposure to a trigger or may gradually increase with repeated exposure, the veterinarians explained.
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It’s important to consult with your veterinarian if your cat displays any signs of fear in order to prevent any fear-related problematic behaviors, such as aggression or excessive grooming.
An October 2022 study in iScience found that fearfulness was “strongly correlated” with aggression and excessive grooming, while “poor socialization” was associated with fearfulness.
Aggressive behavior can include scratching and biting, hissing and growling, the study said, noting that “fearfulness may cause the avoidance of various situations and fear may result in a decreased willingness to approach or interact with people.”
‘Immediately No’
Users on TikTok were sympathetic toward the cat in the clip.
Brisarelly Barragan said “Awww poor Gary got scared” and Candice Perkins simply wrote “‘Immediately no’ – Gary.”
User qing.vixxxn said “The way [she] flinched” and @winterstorme said “An introverts worse nightmare.”
Bree Ogden said: “[She] is all of us tbh [to be honest].”
Kalee Zdroik wrote: “Aww what.. not on [her] bday.. no scarying allowed.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.