Tears at Cat Brothers' Reaction to Meeting After Being Separated as Kittens

A heartwarming video capturing the reunion of two cat siblings after being separated for 17 months has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip posted by @missytimmydash has amassed 1.4 million views since it was shared on December 22. The touching footage has moved viewers, sparking conversations about animals' memories and recognition abilities.

The video features a note overlaid on the clip: "2 brothers separated at 3 months, reunited at 20 months. Is it possible they remember each other?"

The footage shows the two cats cautiously sniffing each other on a carpeted floor, their noses close together as they reacquaint themselves.

Could the two felines in the viral video recognize each other? Research has shown that cats have a heightened sense of smell from birth and can form close bonds with each other.

A February 2017 study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science notes that a kitten's "tactile and olfactory functions are operational from birth, highlighting the importance of these senses for early development." For the first two weeks of life, "a kitten's communication with its littermates and mother is guided primarily through thermo-tactile and olfactory inputs."

The cat siblings are bound to become close if they live together, as some felines can even learn each other's names, according to an April 2022 study published in Scientific Reports.

The findings of the Japanese study, which observed household cats and cats belonging to cat cafés where many cats live together, showed that cats learn the names of their "friend cats."

The study found that "cats expect a specific face upon hearing the specific name of a companion" through the "spontaneous learning of relationships between names and faces in their everyday experiences, similar to what human children do."

'I'm Sobbing'

The emotional reunion has struck a chord with viewers on TikTok.

TikTok user Ezra commented, "I'm sobbing rn [right now] it's too early," capturing viewers' sentimental reaction to the touching scene.

Sickmoon said, "They might not recognize each other from looks being grown up now but they recognize the smell."

Stock image of two cats looking at each other. A video of two cat siblings reuniting after being separate at three months of age went viral on TikTok. iStock / Getty Images Plus

"Looks like they both have familiarity vibes," viewer Wizzerz commented, suggesting that the cats might sense something familiar about each other despite the long separation.

Dawniuss echoed this sentiment: "I think they definitely feel familiarity!"

Users have also provided insights into the memory capabilities of cats. TikToker @junobarbier commented, "Cats will prob remember each other [because] cats remember the smell of their mother for like eternity so the chance is that know they are from the same mother but they might not remember each other."

Newsweek reached out to the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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