A worried cat owner rushed her pet to the vet, only to get an unexpected diagnosis.
Phoebe, a 2-year-old Scottish Fold, is the adored pet of Samantha Resurreccion, 27, and her partner, and even has an Instagram account, @phoebe.thescottishfold.
When Phoebe stopped using her litter box, alarm bells instantly started ringing, as Resurreccion told Newsweek: “Phoebe has always been great about using her litter box. So, when she pooped outside of it, I was immediately worried.
“It had never happened before, and as a cat mom, you know how easy it is to jump to the worst-case scenario. Cats are so good at hiding when they’re not feeling well, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something might be wrong.”
The couple, from Vancouver, Canada, rushed Phoebe to the vet, knowing they would spend whatever it took to get to the bottom of the cat’s mystery illness.
But what happened was summed up in a short video to Instagram on October 15, featuring Phoebe getting plenty of pats while she raises her behind in the air to show she’s enjoying the attention.
Across the video, liked more than 81,000 times, were the words: “My human paid the vet $300 to find out why I haven’t poop[ed] in three days.
“But I did poop, behind the couch.”
Resurreccion told Newsweek the vet was immediately able to reassure her that Phoebe is “perfectly healthy,” and after a thorough check-up suggested Phoebe’s odd behavior could be due to stress.
The couple had just moved to a new apartment, and as cats are “creatures of habit,” big changes to their environment “can affect them in unexpected ways.”
This made sense, Resurreccion said: “Phoebe is very routine-oriented, and moving was a big change for her.”
But now she’s settled in, and is “back to her normal routine, playful, curious and happy as ever.”
The Scottish Fold breed is described as playful and affectionate while still maintaining their independence, and are great for first-time cat owners, according to Purina.
While the vet trip was expensive, Resurreccion said she is just “so relieved it wasn’t anything serious.”
“I think that little scare made me realize just how much she means to me,” she said. “Phoebe isn’t just a pet; she’s family. She keeps us laughing every day with her funny little quirks, and honestly, I can’t imagine life without her.”
Instagram users had this same experience with Phoebe just from the short video, captioned, “Shhh don’t tell mom,” as hundreds left comments on the clip.
One laughed: “She will find it very soon sweetie,” as another joked: “Shhh mom will smell it soon enough.”
And another cat owner wrote that they were “relating on a spiritual level.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
The post Frantic Owner Rushes Cat to $300 Vet Appointment, Gets Unexpected News appeared first on Newsweek.
