Cat ends up in hospital after owner leaves for university — and the internet is bawling

Anyone who has seen their pet grieve in their absence knows that "separation anxiety" in animals is real. When separated from their owners or anyone they love, most pets slip into depression. This is exactly what happened to a cat when her human companion, Nina, who goes by @minitrr on TikTok, left home for higher education.

When Nina, the cat's favorite human, left home for university, he felt so anxious that he had to be admitted to the hospital. In a bittersweet moment caught on camera, the visibly stressed cat finds comfort in watching a video played, perhaps by her owner, while being treated by the veterinarian. "I paid thousands in vet bills to keep him with me," Nina shared, unveiling the special bond they share. Further, she jokingly shared, "He’s alive! I just love him a lot!" in the video caption. Just like Nina's cat, according to BBC Science Focus, more than one in ten domesticated felines surveyed in a fascinating study display behavioral issues when separated from their owners, even if the detachment is temporary.

Now, this emotional dependency is also exhibited in humans, as when the owners are separated from their pets, they, too, struggle with the unbearable pain. As per a report by Well Being International, around half of pet owners report feeling anxious when away from their companion animals. Participating in the study, Brenda, a dog lover, revealed, "My partner died unexpectedly in 2020. He had a heart attack and died in my arms. Our four dogs were all I had to keep me going. Over the next six months, I could only be away from our dogs for a couple of hours before I was a crying, bitchy, anxious, freaked-out mess."

Meanwhile, Nina's video, capturing her grieving cat's struggle dealing with her absence, received an outpouring of love on social media. Echoing the sentiments, @angelmoon0802 said, "Don’t leave your pets alone for more than 5 days; even if they have someone to watch over them, they will believe they have been abandoned or the owner will not come back. This heartbreak leads to sickness and possible death. Please spread awareness about this; we are their world." Similarly, @koko.mbb suggested, "You guys need to start preparing your pets months in advance before big changes or even small stressful ones. Animals understand everything we tell them."

@wolf wrote, "I hate leaving my cats for anything, any time I take trips without them all I do is think abt them while I’m gone." Another user who goes by @gromitrlly on TikTok revealed, "I went away for 5 days for a holiday, came home to him almost dying; he had to take shots and medication every day for almost a month. Turns out cats have attachment issues." @lizbabe9 said, "I’ve had my cat for 6 years, and I've been wanting to go on a road trip just for 24 hours, but I’m so scared to be gone even for that long and cause him stress. Reading the comments made me feel my feelings were always valid, not to mention on top of that, he’s a clingy boy." @solhappylife20 commented, "I thought leaving my dog with my mom was the best when moving out, but no, he missed me and didn’t want to eat and kept waiting for me. We haven’t separated since then."

You can follow Nina (@minitrr) on TikTok for more cat-related content.