Hearts Melts Over Kitten's Reaction to Brother Being Adopted by Owners Too

A cat owner has melted hearts all over the internet after sharing a video explaining how she ended up adopting two kittens instead of one.

In the video shared on TikTok on Sunday under the username zeroandollie, she shows a clip of the first kitten she brought home, looking lonely playing by himself in a box, before realizing that she couldn't separate him from his brother.

A caption explains: "Adopting one cat and realizing we made a mistake..." Followed by: "Going back to get his brother too." The poster then shows a clip of Zero and his brother Ollie happy together again. She wrote: "Best decision."

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), when adopting kittens you should take them in pairs for multiple reasons.

One is that thanks to other pets they can learn how to behave properly, in ways that humans can't teach them. The society's website states: "Kittens play fight with their sibling and by doing so quickly learn what is acceptable in terms of biting, nipping, and gnawing."

Another reason is that if you have two kittens they will never be alone, plus they may like having a grooming and napping partner to spend their days with.

The cats' owner, Callie, who is based in Los Angeles where she has a career in social media entertainment, told Newsweek: "In 2020, my husband and I had just gotten married and moved into our first home when we decided to adopt our first cat. I was looking online on Pet Finder for cats available for adoption, and that's when I found Ollie (or, Mikey, at the time).

"He and his brother were six weeks old and living with a foster, since many animal shelters were closed due to the pandemic. We signed the paperwork and adopted Ollie, and bringing him home was one of the best days of my life! While getting him acclimated to our home, my husband and I started to do some research about adopting kittens in pairs. According to what we read, cats are actually very social creatures, and when kittens grow up with a playmate, they become more well-adjusted.

"I realized we had to bring his brother home too, and contacted the foster mom to see if Ollie's brother, Maverick (now Zero), was still available. To our delight, he was, and we were able to go pick him up and reunite the two brothers after just a week of being apart. After a few minutes of uncertain sniffing, the two boys were roughhousing and playing like they had lived with us forever. Looking back now, I can't imagine life without both of them. Seeing them grow up together and documenting it on TikTok has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life."

The post quickly went viral on social media, attracting animal lovers from across the platform. It has so far received over 2.5 million views and 487,000 likes.

One user, Sesame and Tofu, commented: "BEST decision. Two bonded cats are the most cuteness ever." And Teresaluvsmochi said: "YES kittens should always come in pairs." Jamal added: "Always get a brother or sister."

Tatum2007_ wrote: "Don't ever separate siblings. They need each for life." And chio said: "Before I adopted a cat, I googled 'should I get a cat?' & I came across an article that said 'why 2 is better than 1' After reading that, I got 2."

Another user, Inlovewtallwomen, commented: "I thought you were gonna send him back.. my heart stopped lol." And Katerinamarie said: "Thank you for going back and not separating them." Arev Kire added: "I adopted two brothers also they're inseparable."

Sam wrote: "Two cats is far easier than one especially if the first is a kitten." And JessicaBaileyHassan said: "No one loves each other more than 2 bonded boy cats."

Another user, My Pride and Ducks, commented: "Thank you for realizing how important it is that they have a friend! (Most of the time)." And bridge_soup said: "Yes to a pair, less 'single kitten syndrome!!" Amanda added: "Wish someone would've told me this."

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.

Update 4/12/23, 5:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the cats' owner, Callie.