When their pet isn’t feeling well, parents will quickly stop whatever they’re doing to help. But sometimes, the vet’s diagnosis isn’t what they expected.
Sidney Morgan, who goes by @sydnimini on TikTok, saw that her cat Abby was walking strangely with one paw up and limping like it was hurt. Morgan got worried and called the vet right away, just like any pet owner would. She wanted to know what was wrong with Abby.
“They did a lot of tests, but couldn’t find anything wrong,” Morgan said. “We even went to a specialist, but they still didn’t find anything.”
When she finally found out what was wrong, it surprised her. After spending about $1,000, Morgan learned that her cat might have a behavioral problem. She realized that Abby might have been pretending to be hurt to get more attention.
Screenshots from a TikTok video of Abby the cat holding up a “hurt” paw. Her owner spent $1,000 to find out she was just being dramatic.
Morgan noticed that Abby was faking being hurt when she saw her dog getting a lot of extra attention. She explained that her dog had heartworm because its previous owners didn’t take good care of it. Abby was obviously jealous of the special care the dog was getting.
“She learned treats and attention come when you are sick,” Morgan said.
The March 16 TikTok video quickly went viral, reaching over 6 million views, 1.2 million likes, and 3,450 comments as of Monday.
“It’s a miracle she can walk again,” commented a TikTok user.
The funniest part is Morgan is giving her attention and Abby still doesn’t want it.
One commenter wrote: “As she’s running away from your attention.”
Cats pretending to be sick to get what they want is pretty common. Another person on TikTok shared a similar story, saying, “Once my cat had a tiny eye infection as a kitten, and he got extra treats. Now, whenever he wants treats, he squints one eye like it’s hurt.”
Fortunately for Abby, her sneaky tactics paid off, even though it ended up costing Morgan about the same as it would have if Abby had really broken her leg or paw. Treating a fracture or break usually costs between $1,000 to $4,000, depending on where you go, how bad it is, and where you live.
“She does it every now and then, but I always make sure to give her the attention she deserves,” Morgan said.