Dad and Daughter Praised for Rescuing Stray Cat During Tornado: 'Kidnapped'

The internet has praised a father and daughter after a video of them rescuing a stray cat from an imminent tornado went viral on social media.

In the video, shared on TikTok in April by the daughter, under the username Robiboo6, the two can be seen rushing outside their door during a violent storm, grabbing a stray cat by the neck and offering him refuge in their home, as a tornado siren went off.

The heartwarming clip comes with a caption that explains: "Me and my dad snatching a stray cat up by the scruff of his neck before the tornadoes hit, I'd say he wasn't mad."

In a later update, the poster explained that the cat is "well taken care of," and that the entire neighborhood is feeding him and taking care of him. She also added, that while he hasn't got a proper name yet, he has got a whole bunch of honorary names like "Twister" and "Twister Whisker" among others.

According to the Humane Society, while stray cats can be resourceful and instinctively seek out safety in times of danger, extreme weather still poses a threat to them. So, if you can help a stray cat at these times, below are a few tips shared on the charity's website.

The first thing, if you know the stray cats in the area and help care for them, is to make a list of them so that you can locate any displaced cats. You should move any objects that can be moved around by strong winds as they may pose dangers and leave out some extra dry kibble and a few bowls of water to help the cats survive.

Cover up their feeding stations and leave some warm blankets outside for them to take refuge. Stock up on cat food and if possible keep any friendly cats safe indoors.

The video quickly gained popularity on social media, attracting animal lovers from across the platform. It has so far received over 1.2 million views and 275,600 likes.

One user, Cortney, commented: "That's the emergency line of the cat distribution system." And user4381808281776 said: "He's calm for someone who just got kidnapped." Coqui_Congelao added: "Oh man my Dad did this during Hurricane Maria just yeeting cats into the garage. They did not approve."

Alyssa Gonzales wrote: "Now y'all gotta name him weather related, like storm." And Em!lyyy said: "The way he made himself right at home, he's like so THIS is what my house friends be talking about, THIS IS NIIIICE."

Another user, Marissa Bennett, suggested: "Tempest would be a good name. It means storm." And Mabes said: "Little homie heard the sirens and knew you were there to help." Darian Kay added: "Please this was my strays too they walked in and IMMEDIATELY domesticated themselves like I am NOT going back out there are you crazy?"

Christina Hart wrote: "That's how we had Black Bart. My dad saved him from a tornado. That cat was amazing and lived til he was 17. Such a cool cat." And Luana (Lu) said: "Cleaning himself up to make a good impression so [he] can stay! I hope u can keep him."

Newsweek reached out to Robiboo6 via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.

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