A cat has become a viral star by building a beautiful friendship with the giant rat that he was supposed to catch.
A Reddit post entitled ‘When you get a cat hoping it will help you get rid of the big rat in your yard’ shared a video of a tortoiseshell cat lovingly embracing the rat he was meant to hunt.
The adorable video capturing the unexpected feline and rodent friendship has racked up over 85,000 upvotes on the popular site
Sharing the love
The Reddit user who goes by the handle Vladgrinch shared the footage of their pacifist cat on the popular Subreddit r/aww which collects together the cutest antics of animals online.
The clip shows the contented kitty cuddling their new companion and tenderly cleaning the rat as though it were their kitten rather than their sworn enemy.
Capturing hearts
The pair’s unlikely friendship has captured hearts across the web, with the original post already amassing over two thousand comments.
Users shared their amusement at the behavior of the owner’s peacekeeping cat with commenters advising Vladgrinch to accept that they now owned a rat.Â
The feeling is mutual
It’s clear within the video that the rat is a willing participant in the unconventional friendship, as they feel secure enough to engage in a friendly sparring fight with the benevolent pussycat.
Even when the mischievous cat begins batting at the rat’s tail, they seem perfectly content and happy to keep their new friend close. As the cat continues to pamper the rat with loving licks, the rodent can be seen to relax and enjoy their unexpected spa treatment.
Cats and rats: friend or foe?
Surprisingly, given their long history of being employed as mousers and rat catchers, cats have been shown to dislike hunting rats. The Smithsonian Magazine reported back in 2018 that a study had discovered cats are surprisingly bad at rat hunting, preferring to let the rodents live in peace.
The magazine referred to research conducted by Fordham University over five months, that observed a rat colony in its natural urban habitat. The behavior that they witnessed between local cats and the colony of rats, turned the concept of cats being natural predators of the rodents on its head.
Surprising results
Throughout the seventy-nine-day study, the researchers reported that the rats rarely faced serious danger from their feline counterparts who roamed the area.
During the period of observation, local cats killed only two of the one hundred and fifty rats that made up the huge colony. Overall the researchers found that the cats were not motivated to attack the colony and the rodents and felines were happy to peacefully co-exist.
The future of the friendship
Although Reddit user Vladgrinch has not shared an update on whether they have adopted their cat’s new BFF, the internet has been left hoping that both cat and rat will find true acceptance of their unexpected bond.
The heartwarming video can be viewed below.