A cat who has been overlooked at a cat café in Los Angeles has broken hearts on social media after his story went viral on TikTok.
Snowball, a senior cat, found himself in the spotlight after café Crumbs & Whiskers shared his plight.
In a video that has more than 410,000 views and shared earlier this month, Snowball is seen sitting alone looking sad while the text overlay reads: “When everyone in the cafe only wants to play with the small kittens and doesn’t want to meet 8-year-old Snowball.”
Crumbs & Whiskers cat cafés have locations in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. On a mission to reduce euthanasia in shelters and help match homeless cats with new owners, all of its animals are rescued and adoptable.
Newsweek reached out to Crumbs & Whiskers via TikTok and email for comment.
@crumbs_whiskers Meet Snowball, a sweet senior kitty! He is FIV Positive. Snowball was found on the streets in Montebello, CA after living there most of his life and fending for himself. One day he looked hurt, and he was brought in for treatment of his injuries. Given his sweet disposition and close call, a foster decided to take him in and try and help him find a home that would appreciate his sweet, gentle nature. He is outgoing, curious, and enjoys the company of other cats. Help us find sweet Snowball a loving home! 🏠 ADOPTABLE LOCATION: LA #fivcat #fivcats #fivcatsneedhomestoo #rescuecat #rescuecats #catadoption #catcafe #crumbsandwhiskers Meet Snowball, a sweet senior kitty! He is FIV Positive. Snowball was found on the streets in Montebello, CA after living there most of his life and fending for himself. One day he looked hurt, and he was brought in for treatment of his injuries. Given his sweet disposition and close call, a foster decided to take him in and try and help him find a home that would appreciate his sweet, gentle nature. He is outgoing, curious, and enjoys the company of other cats. Help us find sweet Snowball a loving home! 🏠 ADOPTABLE LOCATION: LA #fivcat #fivcats #fivcatsneedhomestoo #rescuecat #rescuecats #catadoption #catcafe #crumbsandwhiskers
♬ Stuff We Did (from ‘Up’) – Piano Version – your movie soundtrack
Snowball was found on the streets of Montebello, California. After years of fending for himself, the feline’s journey took a turn when he was brought into a shelter for treatment because he looked injured. His sweet disposition prompted a foster-carer to take him in and try and find him the perfect home.
However, like many street cats, Snowball is FIV positive. Standing for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, FIV is a retrovirus that effects cats. It is not transmittable to humans, but is easily passed between cats through wounds or causal contact like sharing water.
Infected cats may not show symptoms for years but eventually develop immune deficiency that can lead to severe illnesses. While there is no cure for FIV, with treatment most FIV-positive cats can live normal and happy lives, although they should be kept indoors to prevent further spread.
TikTok Users React
Despite his hardships, Snowball’s sweet disposition shines through, captivating the hearts of those who encounter him—and plenty of people online too.
“I’d cuddle him all day,” wrote TikTok user Mariah. “If I ever go to a cat cafe I’m always giving the one who’s left out the fusses so no one is left out.”
Madi commented: “I work down the road! Sadly not able to adopt at the moment. But still going to stop by after my shift tomorrow to give Snowball a visit.”
“You’ll find someone Snowball,” added Mavis.
Some commenters even said that they would prefer an older cat to a younger one: “Kittens are fun but way too high energy for me. Give me a tired old boy any day,” wrote Curtis.
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.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.