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A video of a cat's purported reaction to the news of the upcoming arrival of a new feline sibling has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by @pennythegingercat, the TikTok account of a feline called Penny, and has had 1.9 million views since it was first shared on October 27.
A caption shared with post reads: "a reenactment of a convo we had with Penny two years ago..."
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A voice in the clip says: "Penny, we're adopting you a new little brother. His name is Felix, he's six months old and he's coming home tomorrow! Are you excited?"
Tense music is heard, and the camera slowly zooms in on the face of Penny, who is sitting in a home setting. The feline has an unchanging blank expression as the camera gets closer and closer.
As unexcited as Penny may seem about Felix in the latest viral clip, the pair may later end up so close that they will even recognize each other's names, according to one study published in April 2022 in Scientific Reports.
The Japanese study, which observed household cats and cats belonging to cat cafés, where many cats live together, found that felines learn the names of their "friend cats" in their daily lives.
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."
Introducing a Cat to a Kitten
Molly DeVoss, a certified feline training and behavior specialist and certified cat behavior consultant, told Newsweek in May that a cat and a kitten can still become best friends, even if there were to be a huge age gap.
But "that pathway won't be without potholes along the way," she added.
According to DeVoss, "mismatched play styles are one of the biggest challenges when pairing a very young and very old cat together."
Regardless of age, all new cat introductions should be done "slowly and methodically," she said, with the new feline initially placed in a sanctuary room.
Both cats should be given treats and other rewards whenever they're near one another. Once they're introduced in the same room, be sure to have one or both of them in a harness and leash, DeVoss advised.
'Listening to a Horror Story'
The voice in the latest viral TikTok video says: "You guys are gonna play together, eat together, nap together, you'll be together every day for the rest of your lives. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
"I can't wait for you to meet him. I think you guys are gonna get along just fine. You guys are gonna be best friends, I just know it!," the voice concludes, as Penny continues to stare blankly into the camera amid the tense music before the clip ends.
Several TikTok users were in stitches over the cat's reaction.
User cnote218 wrote: "In that moment, Penny's world came crashing down."
User @fatimalynn_ said: "Penny looks like [she's] listening to a horror story."
Teanina said: "Penny thinking about running away tonight."
And yummers wrote, "The stare down," while Julie Monarez simply said: "Choosing violence."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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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