Two socially anxious cats are melting hearts online with their reaction to unexpected guests in the house.
In it cute clip Shared by Megan (@sittingroundtheworld), rescue cats Ivy (left) and Henry (right) are crouching under their owners’ bed. The pair look around the room apprehensively, until Megan tells them that “the coast is clear.”
“They stay hidden for at least an hour or two when someone comes,” he said. news week.
“If you stay here longer, Henry can crawl out to sniff out the entrance to the living room.”
Adopted during the first lockdown, Ivy and Henry are not fans of humans, excluding Megan and her husband Aaron. The pair quickly crawl under the bed when guests come to visit, refusing to move until their owners give them the go-ahead.
“Stranger danger vibes are real,” Megan wrote alongside the images, which have received more than 1.3 million views and 110,000 likes.
Nearly one in five American households adopted a dog or cat during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Biological siblings, Henry and Ivy, were born in foster care. The duo were adopted from the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC in June 2020. At the time, Megan was working from home remotely, while Aaron prepared to return to the office.
Lockdown restrictions meant the kittens didn’t get to spend a lot of time with people. Three years later, the duo are still hiding in the exact same spot under the couple’s bed.
It’s common for pets to struggle with anxiety, with many phobias developing early in a cat’s life. Hiding is a normal feline response to fear, and gives them a chance to calm down and assess their surroundings.
Still, if your cat is constantly hiding or showing other signs of stress, such as aggression, excessive meowing, a change in appetite, or vomiting, then there are things you can do to help your pet relax.
As a kitten, Ivy loved meeting new people (and the care they provided), but Henry was more skeptical. When the couple goes on vacation, they even avoid their cat sitters, choosing to stay in their safe space under the bed.
“They know we come for them when people have left or call their name, but sometimes we let them hear the door close and they come out when they’re ready,” Megan said.
“Henry is usually the first out and Ivy follows close behind to help secure the perimeter of the apartment and make sure no one is still here.”
Other COVID cat owners could relate to the images, with Julia Rose commenting: “I feel so bad for my little kitties.”
“My cat doesn’t like visitors…I thought she was broken,” said KA
“One of them comes out after a while. The other disappears completely,” shaunajaynes wrote.
“Mine is hiding in my closet,” said user 437340409404.
While Nora commented, “I can imagine this would happen if I ever had someone.”
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