In a viral Instagram video, a cat owner revealed how her husband took care of their cat during a scary thunderstorm, and internet users can’t cope with it.
The heartwarming clip, shared in July under the username @lauren_syndi, shows the poster’s cat nestled inside his bed, covered with a blanket hanging over him from the armrests of the couch, forming a sort of fortress.
The fortress was carefully crated to make the feline feel safe, but also to keep him entertained as his dad put on his favorite cat show on YouTube.
“Texts my husband sends me: ‘the thunder scared the cat, but I took care of it,” the caption says.
The poster, Lauren from Texas, told Newsweek that she was out when a thunderstorm rolled through, and her husband, Ben, was home with their green-eyed orange feline, Bugs.
@lauren_syndi
“When I got back there was a full blown fort for him in the living room with his bed at the center—he also put Cat TV on YouTube—truly a classic lol they have a ton of videos with bird scenes, etc.,” she said.
“I didn’t expect that video to get as much traction as it did, but I saw a lot of ‘Green flag’ husband comments on there and they’re not wrong.”
It is not uncommon for cats to be afraid of thunderstorms, but what is it that makes these natural events so unbearable to our fur-babies?
Thunderstorm phobia in cats is an intense fear response triggered by storm-related elements like thunder, lightning, heavy rain, and wind, according to Pet MD.
These sudden and loud events can be especially distressing to already anxious cats. Affected cats may start reacting even before the storm arrives, as they can detect shifts in barometric pressure.
Common symptoms include hiding, shaking, drooling, panting, restlessness, bolting, excessive vocalization, inappropriate urination or defecation, loss of appetite, destructive behavior, and increased heart rate (tachycardia).
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 310,000 views and 24,754 likes.
One user, Freeesia13, commented: “Greenest flag ever!!!”
Spookyladyyy said: “This is the kind of man I want to marry.”
Dimsumcats_nyc added: “Omg [Oh my God] that’s so sweet! The [boyfriend] also built a blanket for my senior kitty Baobao because she gets really scared of thunder.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.