24-07-2025
Owner Shows Adopted Cat Her Mom's Photo—Can't Cope With What She Does
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A cat's unexpected reaction to seeing a photo of his birth mother has sent viewers on TikTok into a frenzy, after a viral video posted to the platform on July 19 captured the emotional moment.
Viewers watched as the adopted feline strolled through a living room before pausing at a television screen displaying an image of his feline mom. An overlaid text on the clip read: "Showing my adopted feral cat a photo of his mom." The short video had been shared by the cat's owner under @erica_tipton.
As the cat approached the screen, he climbed onto the table beneath the TV and let out a heartfelt meow. Off-camera, his owner could be heard saying: "That's your mom."
The short video has been viewed over 1 million times and liked by more than 242,000 users. The tender exchange has resonated with audiences around the world, who flooded the comments with reactions to the cat's behavior—many amused, some in disbelief, and others moved.
"This video explains exactly why I'm on TikTok, God I love cats this [is] so wholesome," one viewer wrote.
"Petition for his own picture frame of his mom," another added.
"Maybe you could put the picture in a frame and put it at his level so he can see her more often because he seemed so excited," a third viewer shared.
"My cat when he sees the lotto commercial with all the (artificial intelligence) black cats," one comment added.
"I show my cat old videos of her and her kittens, I feel like that's what I would want," another posted.
Another viewer had an entirely different perspective, doubting that the cat could even tell the feline in the images was his mom.
"Not only are they completely incapable of recognizing other cats from sight, but they are also incapable of recognizing their mother in maturity," the viewer said. "She is just meowing at another cat."
"This is the saddest thing I've ever seen," another viewer said, while a third commented: "This broke my heart in million pieces."
"That's really sad. I feel bad for him. He definitely remembers her," one comment added.
"Oh his little cries for her," another posted.
"Even cats need their moms sometimes," a third commented.
Newsweek reached out to @erica_tipton for more information via TikTok.
Stock image: A black cat looks into a camera lens with an emotional expression on their face.
Stock image: A black cat looks into a camera lens with an emotional expression on their face.
Getty Images
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