Man tries to adopt a kitten desperately clinging to sibling — he then did right by both of them

A heartwarming clip of two kittens recently made waves online, capturing the attention of countless internet users. A video posted on Reddit by u/Subtle_srikhand showcased a man holding two kittens, one gray and one black, hugging each other tightly. As he tried to separate the two, they instantly started purring aggressively, stretching out their limbs in an attempt to hold onto one another again. Witnessing this desperation, the man brought the two kittens closer, who ended up pulling each other into a hug once more. 

After two to three continuous attempts to separate the tiny kittens, it became clear that the bond between the two was incredibly strong. The caption read, "A guy wanted to adopt a cat, but he wouldn't leave his brother's side, so he had to take both of them," indicating how the man gave up trying to separate the adorable kittens and happily accepted them as his new adopted pair. The way the two animals acted sheds light on separation anxiety in siblings during foster care. This tendency can be seen in both animals as well as humans. According to a study done on children in foster care, sibling separation in foster care is linked to increased emotional stress and greater placement instability. 

Children separated from their siblings are more likely to experience frequent moves, which can disrupt their development and sense of security. The negative impact is especially strong for children with only one sibling, increasing their risk of emotional and behavioral issues. Another report by the National Library of Medicine shares that rats separated from their siblings for longer periods showed similar or more harmful behavioral effects in comparison to when separated from their mothers. Those isolated without their siblings for 180 minutes showed more signs of anxiety and changes in activity levels compared to those separated for only 15 minutes. This highlights how sibling separation alone can negatively impact emotional and social development.

Another study on semi-captive Asian elephants looked at how having older siblings affects younger elephants’ survival, health, and ability to have babies later. The study found that having an older sibling generally helped the younger elephant live longer. In another heartwarming story, a pug was reunited with his brother after spending 52 weeks apart in California. Yuka Tanaka’s rescue dog, Ozzy, was separated from his biological brother when he was just 8 weeks old. During his regular walks to the beach, Ozzy suddenly stopped midway and sat on the ground, like he was waiting for someone to show up.

A few seconds passed, and a random man walked by and started adoring him. That day, Tanaka’s mother took Ozzy to the beach. After they interacted for a while, he shared that he also owns a 10-month-old pug. The discussion further disclosed that both pugs were adopted from Oregon and were even born on the same day. After exchanging a few other details of their respective dogs, they both realized the seriousness of the details matching with each other. Soon, the shared characteristics led them to the fact that the two dogs were rather biological brothers. “If Ozzy didn't stop for no apparent reason, we wouldn't have met, Enzo," Tanaka shared with Newsweek.