Hysterics at Ragdoll Cat's Unexpected Reaction to Neutering: 'You OK?'

A social-media video that captures a ragdoll cat's "trippy" state after his neutering procedure has led to plenty of laughter online.

The viral video, which has been viewed more than 600,000 times since it was first shared to Instagram on January 27, made light of Issy Hawkins' cat's unexpected reaction to the neutering.

"I had my ragdoll cat neutered today and the vet, like they do with all cats, said he might be a bit drowsy for the rest of the day," Hawkins told her followers.

Viewers were then shown a clip of Lupin the cat sitting on the floor in a trance-like state, with his wide-eyed expression held firmly on a bookcase. He appeared to be totally out of things, and was recorded ignoring his owner's commands.

"I don't know what's happened to mine but he seems to be tripping," Hawkins said. She then faced her pet and, in a comedic tone, asked: "Are you OK?"

"He's been staring at this spot for the last hour. Nothing about this cat is normal," the content creator added. The post had been captioned: "My poor ragdoll cat."

"His name is Lupin. He's a fantastic, gorgeous, loving ragdoll cat and we love him dearly. He's one year old. He had quite the experience the other day but he's back to normal now and is blissfully unaware of his new found online fame," Hawkins told Newsweek.

Hawkins is an actor, mental health and sobriety advocate and content creator based in the U.K. She has been sober for nine years, after a battle with alcohol addiction, and provides supportive content online for others who have faced the same.

What's Neutering and Why Does It Happen?

VCA Animal Hospitals writes on its website that neutering is the common term used to describe "the surgical procedure known scientifically as orchidectomy or orchiectomy."

"In this procedure, both testicles are removed in order to sterilize a male cat," the veterinary group says.

A male cat's castration not only prevents unwanted pregnancies occurring in other felines, but also curbs unwanted behavioral patterns associated with sexual maturity and reduces the risk of serious illness from diseases like feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).

"Once a male cat reaches puberty, he will develop a number of behavioral changes that will make him a less desirable pet. He will become territorial and start to mark areas, even inside the house, by spraying urine. This urine has a particularly offensive odor that is difficult to remove," VCA Animal Hospitals adds.

"By increasing the size of his territory, he increases the likelihood that he will encounter other cats and get into fights for territorial dominance.

"Fight wounds can result in severe infections and abscesses. Diseases such as FIV, which cause immunosuppression and AIDS-like syndromes, are spread through cat bites. These incurable diseases tend to be more common in non-neutered male cats," it continues.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it had been shared to the social-media platform on January 27 by @IssyHawkins_, the Instagram post has been liked by over 50,000 users and commented on more than 400 times. Internet users have been voicing their hot takes on the viral moment in the post's comments section.

One user joked: "Mum, I can taste the colors."

"He's seen the Gods," another added, while a third commented: "Bro got zooted."

"Maybe he wasn't very nice so they drugged him to protect the staff," a different user added.

Hawkins later shared in the post's comments section that she has "since learned that they sometimes give them ketamine for neutering."

Updated on 01/31/24 at 09:21 ET with comment from Issy Hawkins.

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