A tiny orange kitten named Cookie has become an internet sensation after his owner’s pet cam captured his relentless nighttime antics.
The viral TikTok video shared in April under the username @itscookiecat, shows the kitty’s attempts to wake up his mom, who is just trying to get some sleep.
While his other human is also lying in the same bed, the focus of the kitty’s attention is his mom. A series of clips show him jumping all over her, unbothered by the concept of personal space. “Someone had the 5 a.m. zoomies and wanted mom to play too,” the poster says in the video.
While it can be frustrating for cat owners, it is not unusual for felines to be up and active late at night or early in the morning; in fact, as crepuscular creatures, this is actually when they are the most active.
This behavior is inherited from their ancestors, who evolved to hunt prey at dusk and dawn. Overtime, cats have developed the extraordinary ability to see in low light conditions, which makes it easier for them to hunt while being protected from predators.
If your cat’s sleeping schedule is affecting your life, there are things you can do to help them adapt to your routine, so you can get better sleep at night. The first thing you should do is ensure their nighttime antics aren’t a cry for help.
This behavior could be due to feline dementia; pain caused by conditions such as dental disease or arthritis; or among other things, mating behaviors if your cat still hasn’t been spayed or neutered. Getting them checked by your vet will help you rule out these conditions.
Playing with your cat before bed time should make them tired enough to avoid nighttime zoomies. Not allowing them to sleep all day may also be a good way to help them sleep at night with you.
You can also keep your feline out of the bedroom, or even better, make a whole private space for them with a warm, cozy bed and toys to keep them entertained.
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The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 6.3 million views and almost 400,000 likes on the platform.
One user, Jennifer Carrington, commented: “That baby would have been on the other side of the door lol [laugh out loud].”
Captain.fing.obvious posted: “I don’t understand how people can sleep with cats in the room.”
Brianna Nicole added: “It’s giving when Simba was trying to wake Mufasa up early in the morning.”
Newsweek reached out to @itscookiecat for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
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.
