A pet owner recently had an unexpected surprise when she arrived home to find her 2-year-old boxer, Willow, and her cat, Ash, accidentally shut inside the same crate.
In a video with over 3 million views on TikTok, Maddie, who lives in Louisiana arrived home to find both the pets inside the dog’s crate. “Oops,” she said in the video.
“I don’t crate my cats ever,” Maddie, who didn’t share her surname, told Newsweek. “Usually, only Ivy, [my other cat], sneaks into them to nap when the cage is unlocked. But I’ve never seen Ash in there before. Since he’s black, he completely blends in with the cage, so I was shocked when I found him in there.”
@mmmmmmmmmmk5/TikTok
Luckily, Maddie wasn’t too alarmed, as her pets already had a close sibling-like bond. “I always call Ash a cat that acts more like a dog, so I knew they were fine,” she said. “They acted like nothing had happened when I let them out and went right back to playing.”
The video of the moment Ash and Willow were found in the crate quickly gained viral attention, and viewers shared their reactions to the hilarious mishap.
“Somehow the dog seems more traumatized than the cat,” said one commenter. While others speculated about the dynamics inside the crate, with another viewer quipping: “You just know the boxer was only allowed to sit in a corner space.”
However, not all responses were lighthearted. Some viewers were critical, questioning why pets were being crated at all. One commenter remarked, “So sad that people cage their animals—what’s the point of it?”
@mmmmmmmmmmk5/TikTok
Dog crates are designed to provide dogs with a contained space. Their use is widespread among pet owners, trainers, and veterinarians, but they remain a subject of debate due to concerns about animal welfare and misuse.
Some comments criticized the use of the crate, like one viewer who said: “So sad that people cage their animals, what’s the point of it?”
Maddie, however, was quick to shut down any accusations of misuse. “When it comes to the negative comments, people calling me a bad pet parent have clearly never had pets,” she said. “Accidents happen, and people assume a lot based on a 15-second video. All I know is that I treat my pets like my own children and would do anything to keep them safe—and they know that. That’s all that matters.”
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.
