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By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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A cat has gone viral after waiting for her toy puppy to "eat" before digging into her kibble, and internet users can't cope with the heartwarming footage.
In a clip posted on TikTok in January, Lucyfur, an orange cat, can be seen standing near the stuffed dachshund, which she had carried all the way to her bowl so they could have dinner together. The cat eventually lies down near the toy, resting her head on it while completely ignoring her dinner.
"She drags this dog toy to her food dish when I feed her and she waits for him to eat," TikTok user @tobielder wrote in text laid over the video.
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"Sometimes she waits a few hours. It breaks my heart. I wish she was born with a brain," the caption said.
Newsweek has contacted @tobielder for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.
Mikel Delgado, a cat behavior expert with Rover, told Newsweek that cats carrying toys to their food dishes is a common behavior because it reflects a part of the hunting process, and all cats have their hunting instincts intact.
"When cats hunt, they often carry their prey somewhere else to eat it, presumably because they feel safer there," she said.
"Your cat is just reenacting that part of the hunting sequence, as play behavior is just 'hunting' directed toward toys instead of prey animals. She's bringing her prey to her safe eating space that she associates with food."
According to Delgado, this behavior doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the cat feeling lonely or needing a companion.
"It's possible that she is lonely, but carrying toys is unlikely to have anything to do with it," the expert said.
The Phoenix Veterinary Center said on its website that signs of loneliness in cats usually included increased sleep, litter-box problems, destructive behavior, aggression and increased vocalization.
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The video quickly went viral on TikTok, where it has received more than 142,600 views and 12,000 likes.
One user said: "Clearly, the dog toy needs his own food dish. And you think she's the one without a brain? Sheesh!!"
"I had a cat years ago who used to do this with his toy beanie baby kitty. It was so adorable," another added.
A commenter said, "Why does this make me emotional, we don't deserve animals this is so so cute."
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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