Internet Enthralled by Moment 'Semi-Feral' Cat Meets Orphaned Kittens

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A video of a cat meeting two orphaned kittens to see if she would accept them as her own has gone viral on TikTok.

The video, which features an orange-haired semi-feral cat named Ms. Muppet, was posted by Rayven, a critical care coordinator and neonate specialist at Kitty Cat Connection (@kcc_criticalcare on TikTok) in Kansas City, Missouri. The clip has garnered 1.9 million views since it was shared on December 21 last month.

A note overlaid on the clip reads, "Seeing if this semi-feral momma will accept 2 orphaned kittens..."

Semi-feral cats are "typically born in the wild or have lived outside for an extended period of time, but have also had some level of human interaction," according to Vetexplainspets.com, a website from veterinarian Jess Kirk.

The footage shows Ms. Muppet standing above her own litter of kittens resting in a basket below her while bending down to sniff the two orphaned kittens. The feline appears to hiss at the newcomers, according to another note overlaid on the clip.

The poster, who did not share their full name or age, told Newsweek: "As shown in the follow-up videos, Ms. Muppet ultimately chose not to take them in."

Rayven believes this decision was influenced by two factors—the age difference between her kittens, who were already about two weeks old, and the newborn orphaned kittens, as well as the number of kittens she already had. "She already had six kittens and seemed to recognize she couldn't care for more," Rayven explained.

A February 2013 study published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery underscores the advantages of having a lactating foster queen for feeding orphaned kittens.

The study highlights that "a lactating foster queen is the best option for feeding orphaned kittens as this provides not only ideal nutrition, but also maternal care."

"Most lactating queens readily accept additional kittens," the study notes, adding that "ideally, orphaned kittens should be fostered on to a queen whose own kittens are less than 2 weeks older to avoid competition due to size discrepancy."

'An Excellent Mom'

Rayven shared more about Ms. Muppet's background, telling Newsweek that "Ms. Muppet came to us after being trapped near a dog park. She was an excellent mom, although a bit 'standoffish' with people."

A few days later, the poster "received a call from a PetSmart manager about two baby kittens found under her porch with no sign of their mother."

One of the kittens appeared unwell and urgently needed either a bottle feeder or a mother cat, Rayven said. "I brought the babies home, cleaned them up, and introduced them to Ms. Muppet in hopes she would accept them."

Although Ms. Muppet did not accept the kittens, Rayven found another loving foster queen. In a follow-up video, it was revealed that another cat named Gemma accepted the orphaned kittens.

The poster noted, "Gemma, on the other hand, likely accepted the new kittens because she had recently lost two of her own at birth, leaving her with just one surviving kitten."

'So Concerned'

Viewers on TikTok were captivated by the emotional scenario.

Becca Morgenne commented, "I love how confused she looks. 'these aren't my babies... are they??'"

Lilabel wrote, "I love that she still looks over at you so concerned like 'these aren't mine... where is their mama??'"

Jules Hermana commented, "I assume she said no ma'am I got enough."

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