A woman from California caught her kitten in the middle of a dramatic act, and now internet users think he should be nominated for an Oscar because of it.
In a viral video shared on TikTok in October, under the username @mandaloriankitty, the tabby kitten can be seen lying down near the closet door, pretending to have his paw stuck underneath to get his mom to open it for him.
"I'm not opening it; your hand is not actually stuck. Pull it out!" the owner can be heard saying, "You're faking that it's stuck so I'll open the door! It's not stuck, see?" she continues, as she removes the kitten's paw from the door herself, leaving him in shock. "POV [point of view]: your cat is the drama," says layover text in the clip.
The poster, 24-year-old content creator and student Riah Cella, told Newsweek that her feline, Mandalorian, was trying to get in the closet so badly that she had to tell him to stop picking at the carpet in front of the door before she started recording.
"I guess he got the genius idea to create a fake scenario where he got stuck and absolutely needed me to open the door," Cella said.
In case you were wondering, yes, cats are indeed able to fake injury to get attention from their owners.
Georgia-based veterinarian Jess Kirk says in an article published by Vet Explains Pets that our felines are very intelligent creatures and, over the years, they have mastered the art of manipulating us to their advantage.
They may gaslight us into giving them more attention, affection, comfort or even extra treats. However, faking an injury could also be a sign of underlying emotional issues that need to be addressed with a veterinarian or an animal behaviorist.
But how can you tell when your cat is faking their injury from when they actually are hurt? According to veterinarian platform Pango Vet, there are some clear signs you can look out for. First is the timing; if your cat was fine seconds ago and now they're limping, they're probably just being dramatic, like Mandalorian.
If you gently rub their injured paw and they don't show any signs of pain, like biting you, pulling back, and licking the paw excessively, chances are they just want more attention.
You can try to avoid this issue by providing them more enrichment, like toys and play time, or even a cat garden filled with feline-safe plants to chew on, such as catnip.
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 1.1 million views and more than 141,400 likes on the platform.
One user, 44_emos_80_, commented: "Should be nominated for an Oscar for best drama."
AriaJada wrote: "His surprise face when you pulled it out was epic."
Dlt1kt0k added: "Nothing prepared me for his name."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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