Laughter As Cat is Convinced 'Cool' New Baby Gear Was Bought For Him

An expectant mom has revealed how her cat has been reacting with excitement to preparations for their new arrival.

Unfortunately, Kevin the cat has been getting excited for all the wrong reasons.

In a video posted to TikTok under the handle elliekregel1, pregnant hairstylist Ellie Kregel from Ohio has revealed how Kev has somehow jumped to the conclusion that much of the new gear they have been buying for their unborn baby is actually for him.

"When your mom and dad keep bringing cool new things home for you," an onscreen caption reads over footage of the black cat playing with a baby mobile, testing out the new pram and enjoying what looks like a very deep sleep on the baby's new bed.

You can watch the video here.

Though cats are largely independent animals—save for the maintenance of a litter tray as well as regular bowls of food or water—looking after a feline companion does share some similarities with looking after a small child.

In 2022, a study published in the journal Behavior Processes found that, when it comes to communicating with cats, felines respond when their owners speak to them like babies—at a higher pitch, extending vowel sounds and with some repetition.

The study saw 16 cats and their owners sit in a room silently while a series of five recordings of their owners' voices were played. The first three were spoken in an adult-orientated voice before the fourth saw their owner adopt more cat-directed speech before returning to adult-directed speech for the final phrase.

When the cats heard the first three phrases in adult-directed speech they became less and less responsive. However, their reaction was more significant when hearing the cat-directed speech before dropping off again when the final adult-directed recording played.

Interestingly, the cats showed no response when listening to a stranger's voice speak in a cat-directed manner. Researchers believe this suggests cats consider the relationship they have with their owner to be something similar to that of a parent and baby.

Little wonder then that Kevin has assumed all of these new toys are for him—Kev probably sees himself as Kregel's baby and is acting accordingly.

Though the black cat might be in for something of a shock when the new baby arrives, there's every chance they will end up being best friends.

In the meantime, his exploits as Kregel's baby gear tester-in-chief have been keeping the internet entertained with the footage racking up 5.5 million views and counting.

"This is making me want to buy baby things for my cat," one wrote with another commenting: "I genuinely thought you bought everything for the cat and said to myself 'you know I understand.'"

A third said: "My boy was like this too. And when we brought each baby home he was like cool, someone to cuddle with in my crib."

Another wrote: "My cat currently thinks my pregnancy pillow is for him and the bassinet, he's in for a rude awakening in a few months."

Kevin could well be facing the same.

Newsweek has contacted Kregel for comment.

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