Home Cat Teaching Adopted Stray Feline Brother To Play Melts Hearts

A friendly cat teaching his newly-adopted brother how to play after he spent most of his life as a stray has melted hearts across the internet.

Tuxedo cat Dobby lives in Australia with his owners Lou Wright and Chris Gardiner, and recently got a sibling: a fellow tuxedo they named Deek.

Deek had lived his life as "part of a street colony" before being rescued and subsequently adopted, Wright told Newsweek. And it was up to Dobby to teach him how to relax into a life of love and luxury.

A video shared to TikTok from Wright's account on May 7, which you can see here, has gone viral, boasting over 1.7 million likes.

It shows Dobby chirping and mewling at his brother, encouraging him to play by running away and then running back toward him, before flopping on the ground and playfully hitting out with his paws.

Deek appears wary but interested, slowly following his new brother and watching his chirping brother, but not quite ready to jump into playing just yet.

Wright captioned the video: "POV: Your home kitty is trying to teach his newly domesticated brother how to play."

Wright, a creative originally from New Zealand, explained that Deek is very new to domesticated life, as they only adopted him from the colony four weeks ago after seeing a social media post "about a bunch of kittens needing to be homed because the shelters were full".

"Dobby had seemed a little lonely since we adopted him so I jumped on it."

According to pet care company Purina, "When looking to get a second cat, it's best to choose cats with complementing personalities.

"Having two cats at home can lead to tensions or fights, especially in the early days, even with two social cats. At the same time, having a social cat together with a timid one can lead to the latter feeling stressed."

Thankfully, with Deek and Dobby, the pair became firm friends quickly.

Wright told Newsweek: "Deek had never had a home or an owner before us, we've been rehabilitating him. It's been four weeks and he's doing so well!"

While they've only known each other for a month, the bond between the cats came early on, Wright said. Even at the beginning when Deek was in a large cage to help acclimatize him.

"Deek was obsessed with Dobby from the get-go and would make bird chirping noises every time Dobby entered the room," she said. "Dobby took a week or so to warm to him, but he was always interested from the beginning, flopping down on the floor a meter or two away."

TikTok users went wild for the sweet video, flocking to the comments in their thousands to share their thoughts, with one pleading: "Give us an update, my heart can't take it."

"I love watching them learn that they are allowed to actually play and not just survive," one touched commenter said, with another noting, "The flop to show he's not being aggressive!"

"Aww those squeaks, my heart hurts," one said, with another adding: "I swear tuxedo cats are some of the most talkative I've ever encountered."

As for the chirps and mewls that commenters were obsessed with, Wright said Dobby has "always been a little chirpy but not that vocal."

"We had a tuxedo who passed away before we got these two and we would have full-on conversations with him," Wright said. "Dobby has really perked up in conversation since Deek arrived and it's lovely, we love chatty cats."

She added: "It's been incredibly heartwarming, seeing all the lovely comments about people getting emotional has made me emotional!

"The power animals have to bring joy into our lives is beyond."

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