While out on a walk, a cat owner from Port Angeles, Washington, tried to each his feline how to jump over puddles, but his plan hilariously backfired.
In a viral video shared to Instagram on November 15 posted by @willowdeaux, the 3-year-old ragdoll cat, Willow, can be seen walking on the leash with her owner when she stops right in front of a puddle.
Willow's owner, 37-year-old Heidi, told Newsweek that she and her husband were out walking their two cats after it rained when they noticed Willow pawing at the puddle, and her husband, Shoghi, came up with the idea to teach her that it was safe to jump over it.
"He walks up all confidently and says, "Aww Willow just jump over it, watch' and immediately catches some slippery ground," she said.
As the man falls to the floor, Willow can be seen looking concerned, flattening her ears to the back of her head while she watches her dad in shock.
"It happened so fast that I had no time to react, and I was surprised I caught it on video. Luckily, Shoghi was quick to save himself and wasn't hurt from the incident. Later when we reviewed the footage, we couldn't stop laughing at Willow's concerned reaction to him falling and I knew the world had to see," Heidi said. "Never in a million years did I think it would go this viral! We have just been non-stop laughing at all the comments."
Even their other cat, Cirrus, who can be seen hanging out in the background, seems to be concerned about their dad's hilarious fall.
"Some people think he's a random neighborhood cat, but he's definitely ours. He was tethered on his own leash, which is why he seems a little stuck there," Heidi said.
Heidi and her husband have taken their cats on all sort of adventures on a leash since the felines were young, from bike rides, to hikes, lakes, and rivers, to boats, stores and mountains.
"So, they're actually used to all sorts of different scenarios, which is why her puddle reaction was silly enough for me to record it. I think most cats would have run when he slipped, but our cats were just like 'Dad are you ok???'" Heidi added.
Cats don't just hate puddles, most felines dislike getting wet in general. Rutherford Veterinary Hospital writes on its website that there are many reasons for this behavior.
One is their genetics. Because their ancestors weren't exposed to large bodies of water, their instinct tells them that it is not safe. Another reason is that wet fur is uncomfortable as it hinders their agility and the ability to regulate their body temperature.
Some cats may hate water because of past experiences, like forced baths. However, cats are very good at keeping themselves clean, so bathing them is not necessary for their hygiene.
Instagram Users React
The video quickly went viral on Instagram and it has so far received over 33.8 million views and 2 million likes on the social media platform.
Myvintagefriend wrote: "The sacrifices parents make for their kids! Dignity being one of them."
ericiswriting added: "You can see the exact moment when the cat was scarred for life."
jakethefae commented: "I told you it wasn't safe, Father!"
mugen.koon wrote: "The instant airplane ears."
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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