A cat dad from Philadelphia went viral after showcasing the unusual skill he taught his "daughter" when she was just a kitten, and social media users can't cope with how cute it is.
"People don't believe me when I say this, but I got my daughter at a very young age. She was 2 months old, and as I was raising her I taught her to meow on command. The command is 'Meow, meow' and she'll respond," says the poster in the TikTok video shared in January under the username @greysonhoelzel.
As he meows at the cat twice, the feline softly meows back at him, engaging in conversation every time he issues the command.
The poster, 25-year-old Greyson Hoelzel, who has a podcast titled Happier Hour, told Newsweek that Miso Soup, also known as simply Miso, is a 3-year-old tuxedo cat he adopted at the end of the pandemic, and he loves her to death.
"She was the last kitten left at the shelter and was climbing on the side of the cage like Spider-Man when I approached. She is my everything and my sweet baby angel," he said.
At the time, Hoelzel was living alone and often found himself feeling lonely, having no one to talk to. So he began teaching Miso how to talk back to him.
"Initially, when she would respond to my meow, meow command, I would provide positive reinforcement and lots of love to show that it's a good thing to talk back to me. Naturally, it carried over to her adult life, and Miso and I can have full-on conversations. It's great, and I love her," he said.
Meowing is a way of communicating that cats mostly reserve for humans, according to the website PangoVet. While kittens may meow at their mother when they are small, as they grow older they stop using this form of communication when interacting with each other.
However, they will keep meowing at their owners. But why? As Jess Kirk says on the Vet Explains Pets website, cats usually meow at us to get our attention, often to signal that they are hungry or want to play.
Some cats may meow more frequently when they are stressed, as a way to cope with their emotions. An increase in vocalizations could also be a sign of a health problem. Any changes in your cat's behavior should be addressed by a professional.
The video quickly went viral and has so far received over 14.7 million views and 3.6 million likes.
One user, Alessia (Taylor's version), commented: "Or maybe she taught you to say meow meow."
Captainkaupp said: "She has such a polite voice, [you are] obviously raising her right."
Celest.e.l added: "The proud father look on your face every time you turn back to the camera after she meows."
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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