Footage of Rescue Cat's 'Nighttime Shenanigans' Has Internet in Hysterics

A cat whose "nighttime shenanigans" have been caught on camera has the internet cry-laughing.

In a video shared to TikTok on October 5, a cat named Pepper can be seen stomping, squirming and even taking a bath on top of their owner Beck (@feraltofamous) while she tries to sleep.

The tabby and his lack of chill were captured on Beck's Wyze Camera, with viewers finding the footage both hilarious and heartwarming.

When it comes to sleep quality and sharing your bed with your feline friend, studies have shown received mixed results. A 2021 study published in the journal Clocks and Sleep found that co-sleeping with a pet had no impact on the sleep quality of the teenagers surveyed. However, research published in Anthrozoös found that cats were "equally as disruptive as human partners" when it comes to getting some shut-eye.

In 2015, the Mayo Clinic surveyed 150 pet owners and found that 56 percent let their animal sleep on their bed. Although 25 percent said their pet was disruptive, 41 percent said their pet was beneficial or had no impact on their quality of sleep.

Anita Kelsey, a United Kingdom-based cat behaviorist and the author of Let's Talk About Cats, said cats like sleeping with their owners for a variety of reasons.

"Cats see us as a resource that provides safety, warmth and attention," she told Newsweek. "They use this time to bond with us and to get our body warmth. They snuggle up to us to feel secure and safe and enjoy that one-on-one time whereby they are getting little strokes and attention before you drop off to sleep."

But is it healthy to share a bed with your favorite feline?

"Cats are fastidiously clean so, apart from any flea issue, you are pretty much
ok to sleep with your pet," Kelsey said.

And if your furry friend is disrupting your sleep? Kelsey recommends ignoring them, so they learn not to expect your attention at bedtime.

"It sometimes helps to have a heat pad at the bottom of the bed that they may like laying on or a climber in the room to offer an alternative place to sleep," she said. "Also, give them a before-bedtime snack and some run-around play time with hunting toys to get rid of any excess energy."

'Accurate'

In the clip filmed in Beck's bedroom, Pepper is captured lounging on top of their owner, who is sleeping on her side in bed. Pepper then decides to have a bath and begins licking himself, which Beck describes as a "10-minute butt licking sess" in the captions.

Pepper then begins to stomp on Beck, waking her up. "Why do little paws weigh 3,000lbs?" she wrote alongside the clip.

She then tries to pet Pepper to sleep, which eventually works, with the tabby settling down. Once comfy, Pepper then sweetly wraps his arms around Beck's neck.

TikTok users couldn't get enough of the clingy cat and high jinks, with the video being viewed more than 820,000 times.

"Such a sweet boy," said Phil Seddon.

"He definitely adores you," commented Janine_768.

"The way he holds your face as he falls asleep," wrote iguana lottery.

Fellow cat owners found the clip relatable, with Harper Rose saying: "My cat wakes me up all the time."

"I have 8 and these videos couldn't be more accurate!" agreed Kimberly Jenkins Barackman.

"Those dam paws man like HOW do they dig into my ribs like that," wrote Michelle.

While LK84 asked: "Why do cats weigh so much more when you're trying to sleep?

"They can be light as a feather but choose to bruise us."

Pepper isn't the first cat caught behaving mischievously on camera. Earlier this year, a tabby's reaction to finding his owner's secret pet cam had the internet in hysterics, while an Egyptian Mau filmed attempting to hack a treat machine took over Reddit.

Newsweek reached out to @feraltofamous for comment.

Update 10/14/22, 9:50 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from cat behaviorist and author Anita Kelsey.