She always wakes her 14-year-old cat up when it’s fast asleep — and anybody with a senior pet understands why

A pet owner recently struck a chord with millions after sharing a quiet but powerful moment with her cat, and it has low-key left the internet in splits. On TikTok, the pet owner, who goes by @authorarabella shared a viral clip of herself gently interrupting her senior cat’s nap. While it may seem like a small, slightly funny gesture, viewers quickly realized there was something more behind it. The 15-second snippet garnered 13.5 million views and a deluge of reactions from people across social media. Though her actions raised some eyebrows, the cat owner was unabashed by her behavior, citing a solid reason related to her pet’s life. 

When she found her 14-year-old cat tucked into a corner of the couch, a strange fear consumed the pet owner. She walked up to her sleeping cat and bombarded her with repeated pokes. After an initial two or three tries, the cat remained unresponsive. Then, she decided to scratch her cat, finally waking the poor kitty from her sleep. Though she successfully disturbed her pet’s sleep, she was content that her elderly pet was still functioning. The cat was, however, utterly clueless about her owner’s antics and meowed at her with a judgmental look. 

She justified her action with a brief note on the clip. “When your baby is 14, so you got to make sure the nap is just a nap,” the overlay text teased. Meanwhile, in the caption, the owner defended herself, saying, “Okay girl, just checking.” The post was liked by 3 million people, while thousands of others reacted to the antic with amusing insights. @vivasmiley joked about the cat’s reaction, and wrote, “I ain’t dead but I’m starting to wish I was.” “Yes, I’m alive. Yes. I am alive,” quipped @ainsleyxoz. A fellow pet owner (@_sleepingwithc_) related, “The slight panic when they don’t respond at first is the worst.” 

However, someone else (@optimisticatheist) was rather surprised by the cat owner’s act. “14? My cat is 28. We’ve been saying, ‘This will probably be her last year’ since 2015. She’s going to outlive us all out of pure spite.” “My cat is 19 and she still has a baby face and jumps off the roof. She may be immortal,” said @tamsinhadfield. According to a Blue Cross report, domestic cats usually live up to 20 years, but this can vary depending on healthcare, environment, and diet. While their fine survival instincts have long led to the myth about having nine lives, cats actually undergo six key life stages from birth to adulthood. 

Felines are considered mature at 10 years old and are classified as seniors between the ages of 11 to 14. When 15 or older, they enter their geriatric life stage with signs of decline related to ageing. During this phase, it is important for owners to closely monitor their pet felines for any behavioral changes to ensure their well-being. 

You can follow @authorarabella on TikTok for more videos.