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By Rachael O'Connor
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The internet has fallen in love with two border collies who can't keep their eyes off their sleeping kitten sibling.
Collies Roxy and Luna live in Kildare, Ireland, with their owner Anna Martinez, 28, and are regularly introduced to new cats in the house as she rescues animals.
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But while the dogs are used to the cats, and Martinez told Newsweek they "love every single one," it's hard to ignore the breed's herding instincts, and they will stare at the new arrivals to make sure they know where they are at all times.
In a video shared to TikTok on May 27, which has garnered close to 40,000 views in two days, Martinez shows off tabby kitten Marisol sleeping peacefully on the couch—as Roxy and Luna stare just inches from her face.
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In a voiceover, Martinez says in the video: "Imagine being my dogs and getting a new cat so often and just never getting over it, just never, ever, accepting that that's just a cat. It's nothing special. Ye have had like five. And it's asleep."
Making the video even funnier is the two dogs' very different facial expressions as they stare at the tiny kitten, with one looking serious and concerned, and the other with a wide, happy smile on her face.
Martinez told Newsweek she believes her dogs' reactions proves it is "completely made up that cats and dogs are enemies or don't get along," noting that she has rescued or fostered seven cats over the years and the collies loved each one.
"They're herders by instinct so they naturally have to know where the cats are at all times! If we call a cat's name, the dogs will go find them," she said.
"Up until this kitten's arrival they had been staring at our most recent rescue, Geovani," she added, joking that Geovani is now "glad of the peace."
It's not just the collies who are interested in their kitten friends, she went on, as "the cats will follow the dogs outside on walks, they really are all the best of friends."
And after having Marisol for just six days, she's "settling in quick"—even though Martinez admitted "they are STILL staring at the kitten."
The American Kennel Club (AKC) describes border collies as remarkably bright, energetic and intelligent, and notes the intense gaze of a herding collie—very like the look one of the dogs was giving the sleeping cat.
It notes that the breed is playful, affectionate towards family, and can adapt well to change, perfect for a house like Martinez's with so many new animals being introduced to the family.
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TikTok users flocked to the video in their thousands, with the clip already claiming close to 5,000 likes, with one commenter joking the dogs were "literally trying to herd a cat."
"My collie is exactly the same to my cat," another wrote. "He needs to know exactly where she is at all times."
One joked: "That's the way I look at my Chinese in the microwave the next morning waiting for the 'ping.'"
And as one put it: "Who doesn't stare at cats doing nothing."
Martinez admitted she "didn't expect the video to get so much attention" as "this is just part of the average day in our little zoo."
She explained the family currently has two older rescue cats, Geovani and Firmino, which had been found living in a truck engine and abattoir.
And the collies themselves were "taken from a very bad breeder."
Martinez said: "We lost our older family cat last year and since then I've not said no to any animal that comes to me."
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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