A woman who adopted a cat with an unusual difference has shared her discovery on social media.
Sarah, who lives in Saudi Arabia, recently adopted 8-year-old Caramelo from a local shelter, but when she was petting him, she discovered something odd—a tattoo on his ear.
"I noticed the tattoo after one week of having him when I was cleaning his ear," Sarah told Newsweek.
On TikTok, she shared the discovery with her followers in a clip that now has more than 4.7 million views. In the caption, Sarah asked: "Help what the hell is this?"
The video has sparked a flurry of theories about the tattoo's origin and purpose, ranging from a way to identify the cat to a mark that he was involved in animal testing.
In Denmark, ear tattooing remains a traditional method of identification for cats; the process involves sedating the cat before tattooing their inner ear to signify that they are owned—just like the microchip used elsewhere.
However, with little knowledge of Caramelo's life before she adopted him, Sarah doesn't know where the tattoo came from, or why it is there.
In thousands of comments on TikTok, people shared their theories and thoughts.
Apple User369349 wrote: "They do it when they fix the cat so other people and vets know they're spayed."
KittykilL offered a perspective from the U.K., where ear tipping, or the removal of a small portion of the tip, is a common practice to signify neutering. "In the U.K., they just chop the tip off the ear to show neutering. Maybe it's something like that," they wrote.
Sophia posted that it was likely the same situation as the tattoos used in Denmark: "It's like getting your pet chipped, but instead it's a tattoo."
Some viewers even posted that it could mean Caramelo was involved in animal testing in the past.
Others were more interested in the tattoo's content. Much to everyone's confusion, the tattoo on Caramelo's inner ear appears to read "paw," sparking plenty of laughter.
A TikTok user wrote: "Does that say 'paw' or am I crazy? I've never seen an ear tattoo actually spell a word."
"So close!! That's a ear!!" commented another viewer, while one inquisitive TikTok user posted: "Check if the paw has a "EAR" tattoo at this point."
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.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
