Rescue Cat Carries Blanket Around House in Most Adorable Way: 'Waddles'

A rescue cat has developed an adorable habit involving her owner's blankets.

Caitlin was studying in college over in St. Louis during the pandemic when she decided to adopt a cat. It didn't take her long to decide Blarn was the one for her. "One morning, I downloaded the Petfinder app, and she was the first kitten I saw when I opened it," Caitlin told Newsweek. "I knew I immediately had to have her."

A day later, a friend drove her to Springfield, Illinois, to pick Blarn up from the shelter. That was when she learned about the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her arrival there. "The shelter told me that she walked in the front door by herself, as in, no one dropped her off; she essentially dropped herself off for adoption," Caitlin said. "I loved her independent spirit."

That independent spirit has ensured there is rarely a dull moment when Blarn is around, and she's definitely no ordinary cat. "Blarn almost acts like a dog sometimes, loving to play fetch and catch," her owner said.

More recently, Blarn has been joined by another rescue cat, Edna. "I was worried when I adopted Edna that she and Blarn wouldn't get along, as their introduction had a rocky start with hissing at each other," Caitlin said. "However, within one week, they were cuddling and kissing one another. They love to play-fight as well as snuggle together, which is really sweet to see."

Together, the two felines have been a rock to Caitlin throughout her studies and ever since. "They are both such loving cats," she said. "Both Blarn and Edna have kept me sane and grounded during my time at school whenever I would feel stressed."

That's one of the underappreciated aspects of owning a cat, and one that was highlighted in a study published in the journal Anthrozoos. It found that cat owners were in better psychological health than those without pets.

Based on the results of a series of surveys involving 92 cat owners and 70 individuals who had no pets, researchers found the former were happier, more confident and less nervous. Cat owners were also better at problem solving and enjoyed more quality sleep than the pet-less test subjects.

Cats are not just a source of comfort, though. They can make their owners laugh, too. Blarn is no exception to this, as Caitlin discovered about a year ago when she began to notice the adorable way in which her rescue cat liked to carry blankets around her apartment.

"Our apartment has hardwood and tile floors, which makes it conducive to dragging the blankets long distances," she said. "I first noticed that the blankets in the living room would end up on the floor in my bedroom and was really confused until one day I saw her waddling on her way, dragging the entire blanket behind her."

Caitlin has "no clue" why Blarn has taken to dragging blankets around the place, though her feline friend had made a habit of dragging gifts over to her from time to time.

Whatever the reason, the sight of Blarn dragging the blankets was deemed funny enough by Caitlin to share on social media. A video compilation of Blarn's blanket "waddles" with the blanket dragging along between her legs was posted to TikTok under the handle caitlin0720 where it's already been watched more than 6 million times.

One viewer posted that watching the video "made my day," while another commented that, while they were currently sick with the flu, Blarn had made them "laugh despite feeling like death."

While Caitlin may have been expecting a reaction, the response to the video caught her by surprise in the best kind of way. "It honestly makes my day reading some of the comments and just knowing that Blarn is making other people smile as she does for me. It would be almost selfish of me to keep her all to myself."

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.