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By Liz O'Connell
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A dog's intense reaction to what he thought was a real cat left TikTok viewers laughing after his owner revealed the truth—there was never a feline.
In a September 15 TikTok video posted by user @belmelly, a dog sat in the backseat of a vehicle, agitated and barking nonstop. The canine tried communicating that a cat was staring at her from the car parked next to them. However, when the owner glanced over to see what triggered her dog's barks, she found that the so-called feline in question was only a car decal.
She panned the camera over to show the car decal, making it clear why the dog went off. The photo showed a mortified cat with its head tilted back, eyes bulging and mouth open.
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Trying to comfort her dog, the owner explained the cat was not real, but the barks continued. The canine remained alert. She used her loud barks to warn the feline from getting any closer, despite the life-like image not moving. The resemblance of a cat in the car decal was enough to set her off, which sheds light on how dogs perceive the world.
Why Do Dogs Bark?
To us, it appears the canine is reacting to a silly, little image, but veterinarian Dr. Katherine Houpt, from the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, previously told Newsweek that "there is usually something that stimulates the dog to bark."
Canines use their barks to communicate. Reasons for dogs to start barking include illness or injury, territorial response, acting as an alarm, attention seeking, greeting, compulsive, frustration or separation anxiety.
In this instance, the reason for the dog's chaotic response is rooted in their natural instincts. As descendants of wolves, dogs have a strong prey drive and seeing a cat can trigger this response, especially for those dog breeds developed for hunting, an article from PetsCare reported.
This dog might have seen the cat as a possible territory intruder. Wanting to protect the owner, the dog reacted. The barks could also have been due to fear and stress or the dog's lack of socialization with cats.
Viewer Reactions
The TikTok video reached over 874,100 views, 171,200 likes and 657 comments as of Monday, with people cracking up in the comment section, claiming they too had been fooled for a moment.
"I bought it for a good 3 seconds tbh. Can't blame the dog," wrote one person.
Another added: "It’s like my dogs and the TV. How many times you gonna let it fool you?"
A third user said: "It's real to HER."
Newsweek reached out to @belmelly via TikTok last week for additional information and comment.
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