The mystery of where a cat spent the night has left the internet in stitches—and sparked an unexpected debate about pet ownership across continents.
Ellie Morton (@_ells444), a 28-year-old undertaker from Stockport, U.K., shared footage of her orange and white cat, Enid, returning home with an unexpected accessory: a false eyelash tangled in her tail. The TikTok clip, which racked up 373,800 likes and 1.6 million views, shows Enid waiting at the door, seemingly unbothered by her new fashion statement.
“She was sat on the wall in the back garden waiting for me to let her in, even though she has a cat flap, she’s just a spoiled princess!” Morton told Newsweek.
“And I spotted the eyelash thinking it was a spider until I let her in and saw it was just a big fluffy strip lash. I’m still unsure where it came from as it doesn’t look like one of mine because I usually wear individual lashes so the mystery continues!”
In the video, Morton is seen carefully removing the lash from Enid’s fur. She captioned the clip: “Miss girl got some serious explaining to do.”
While many TikTokers were amused by Enid’s party-girl energy, the video unexpectedly opened a heated discussion in the comments about whether cats should be allowed to roam outdoors.
“The social media reaction frankly has been awful!!! 48 percent of the commenters are Americans who’ve been horrible about the fact that I allow her outside even though that’s such a common thing here in the U.K.?! I’ve just had to mute the notifications cause there’s too much arguing and name calling going on for me!!” Morton explained.
The cultural clash is not surprising, as pet-keeping norms differ significantly between the U.K. and the U.S. In the U.K., it’s common for cats to have free access to the outdoors.
British cat owners tend to view roaming as natural and enriching for felines, according to Pets4Homes. In contrast, many American owners are advised to keep their pets strictly indoors due to the risks of traffic, predators, and disease.
The American Humane Society also recommends keeping cats inside, noting that outdoor cats are more likely to suffer injuries, disease, and shorter lifespans. However, it acknowledges that outdoor experiences can be valuable when done safely and supervised.
Still, many commenters jumped to Enid’s defense.
“Maybe she found a broken hearted baddie and offered cat cuddles because girls support girls,” wrote one user named Jen.
“In the U.K. almost everyone with a cat lets them roam outside stop accusing her of animal abuse,” said another.
“She went to the clurb,” quipped Katie Olivia.
“WHYS EVERYONE SO MAD OVER THE CAT BEING OUTDOORS I DONT UNDERSTAND its so funny reading these comments ur from the uk and ur being warned about COYOTES,” one user added.
“And I thought cats be jealous when they smell another cat on you,” wrote Angie.
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