Awoman from Kansas saved a pair of feral kittens from the streets, but then about two months later, their feline family came back for them. Now a viral TikTok video documenting their emotional encounter has melted hearts on social media.
Sara Morgan, who rescued the kitties, told Newsweek that she found three of them hiding in her shed a couple of months ago, and while she managed to catch two, one escaped and left with his feral parents, whom she has been trying to catch for years.
“The dad finally made friends with me, so the mom started bringing the third kitten around. But the kitten has been much more afraid than the adult cats,” Morgan said.
However, despite being scared and shy, the third kitten recently showed up at her door, as shown in the viral clip shared in August under the username @songwritersara. He can be seen walking up to Morgan’s front door, trying to play with his sister, who also recognized him from behind the glass and immediately acknowledged him.
“That’s my sister! Mom I found her!” reads layover text in the clip, as the kitten calls his mom over after recognizing the missing family member.
“That was the first night he came up to visit with me sitting outside, and his sister happened to be in the doorway. He only came to the doorway because he realized he knew her. It was so sweet. He had been too scared before that and recognizing her gave him the courage,” Morgan added.
Dr. Jess Kirk, a licensed veterinarian in the state of Georgia, says on Vet Explains Pets that, because of their strong sense of smell and memory, cats can indeed recognize their siblings, even if they were separated at a young age. They can track their family down by using scent cues, vocalizations and familiar landmarks to find each other.
From the clip, it looks like the feral kitten really missed his sister and was over the moon when he finally found her. But do cats actually miss their family after being separated?