Cat Caught Crying Actual Tears on Camera at 3 a.m. Breaks Hearts

A cat owner has discovered her fur baby apparently crying on camera in the middle of the night, and footage from the video, which quickly went viral on social media, has left many users in tears.

In the clip, shared on TikTok on Monday under the username Llkk_oo that's been viewed more than 60,000 times, the British Shorthair called Aura can be seen tearing up as she rests under a table, looking into the camera that happened to be positioned right in front of her.

"We took her to the vet and we were told she's perfectly fine," the cat's owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Newsweek, "other than the fact that we were also told that she was pregnant with a bunch of kittens!!"

The caption on the video reads "she's happy I swear", and there's no need to doubt that she is, in fact, happy, despite first impressions. According to the website The Spruce Pets, when cats are sad, they do not cry tears like humans; instead, they whine or whimper.

When a cat's eyes tear up, there could be a number of reasons behind it. It could be because of an upper respiratory infection or clogged tear ducts. Other reasons may include conjunctivitis (pink eye), infections or allergies. Cats with rounded heads like the one in the clip, are also more likely to tear up.

So when a cat is tearing up, it's not because they are sad, so be alert as your feline may need some veterinary help.

The cat's owner told Newsweek that Aura has just turned four and that her eyes were tearing up because of irritation likely caused by dust.

According to her owner, Aura is prone to mood swings: "Sometimes she's happy, but other times she literally meows for hours on end and scrapes our doors trying to get in. We literally have to put plastic covers on our new sofas so she doesn't scratch them. We know she does this to relieve her anger and anxiety, but honestly, it's worse for us."

The video of Aura quickly gained popularity on social media, attracting animal-loving TikTokers. It has so far received more than 16.6 million views and 4.6 million likes.

One user, Rizzokittystoes, commented: "THE POOR BABY. HOLD HER RIGHT NOW AND TELL HER HOW MUCH YOU LOVE HER."

Chi said: "This is literally gonna make ME cry."

And Kaley added: "I would never recover from this."

Another TikTok user, Abbicakies said: "HELP. THE WAY SHE WAS LOOKING AT THE CAMERA WAS SO ADORABLE."

Police_gurl.forsure said: "TELL HER I LOVE HER."

And mostlyimpulsive added: "As heartrending as it seems, cats do not cry tears of sadness. They just cry out vocally. So likely, it's just dusty in there! She's okay everyone!"

Update 05/2/23, 11:30 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from the OP.

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