When a video of Pawl the cat holding a fish toy and meowing was shared online, it touched viewers’ hearts, including his owner’s.
A cat owner has described how their cat’s mournful meowing almost caused them to turn back and cancel their vacation.
Cats are much more independent than dogs, but that doesn’t mean they don’t miss their owners when they leave on vacation.
And for one cat owner, seeing how their feline friend looked while they were off on holiday was more than enough to tug at their heartstrings.
Introducing Pawl the Cat, the star of a TikTok account called @acatnamedpawl following his many exploits for viewers on social media.
Pawl’s owners went away on vacation and left him largely alone in the house, though they made sure that people were dropping in every day to check on him.
They also installed pet cams in the house so they could keep an eye on what he was up to while they were away.
And one clip of Pawl holding a fish toy and meowing forlornly ended up racking up some 12.1 million views.
Owner Jonah told Newsweek, “I discovered Pawl approximately four years ago. I’d been living in a ground-floor flat for about a week when a kitten appeared and began scratching at my window. We have been best friends ever since.
@catnamedpawl The fact he’s walking around with his fish makes it that much sadder. (We have babysitters come on check him so he’s not too lonely.) #pets #fyp #popular #cats ♬ original sound – Pawl The Cat
“When we go on vacation, we hire babysitters to monitor Pawl, but we also set up cameras to ensure he’s doing well.
“Typically, he spends a lot of time laying around or watching out the window at birds. When we examined the cameras, we found Pawl roaming around the apartment with his fish, uttering the saddest meows we’d ever heard.”
“Most mornings I actually wake up the fish in front of my bedroom door because Pawls brings it to me every night. I like to think it’s his way of showing he’s thinking about me.”
Viewers were left devastated by just how cute and adorable Pawl was, and took to the comments to share their views.
One wrote: “My cat does the same thing carrying out his stuffed fish! We call it his emotional support fish.”
Another said that they should get a friend for Pawl, writing: “See this is why I got my cat and friend and she had the nerve to hate him.”
