A woman was left blind in one eye following what was supposed to be a ‘harmless pet interaction’ with her cat.
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The scary moment was captured on camera and posted on TikTok as a warning to other pet owners.
The author of the video pleaded with people to be careful as even the sweetest animals can bite, scratch and cause serious injuries.
The ‘freak accident’ amassed thousands of views, here is how it happened.
Meanwhile, find out what your cat is trying to tell you with their paws and stop them from scratching your sofa with these simple tricks.
Also, this cat potentially made a scientific discoverywhile looking for a snack.
A scary moment a cat scratches his owner’s eye
Despite looking cute and innocent, cats can give nasty painful scratches.
The owner of TikTok-famous Cleo aka Cleo the Doll Face Persian Cat who posts under
@cleothecitykitty learned it the hard way after she was seriously injured by her ‘fur baby’ on camera.
As the TikToker attempted to kiss her white cat's nose, she was struck with an open-claw paw. The unexpected blow left her blind on one side.
The video of the incident was posted on social media in an author’s bid to highlight ‘the potential dangers associated with seemingly harmless pet interactions’. The post amassed thousands of views and comments.
@cleothecitykitty Helppppp #indoorcat#badcatsoftiktok#fyp
♬ Spinning Monkeys - Okasansan08
Luckily, Cleo’s owners’ vision loss was temporary although it lasted three long weeks.
The woman vowed never to go too close to her cat's face again following the ‘freak accident’.
Social media users rushed to comment on the terrifying video.
One person wrote in the kitty’s defence:
It's not about ‘trust’, we gotta learn to respect them, including their needs and boundaries.. stop expecting them to behave as humans.
Another person wrote:
I love cats sm [so much] but they're so unpredictable it's scary.
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Expert: Cats can’t handle much petting
Shane Kannarr, medical reviewer at All About Vision, warned that cat scratches that lead to scars, be very painful on the eye, impact vision and cause an infection. They can also result in ‘permanent loss of best-corrected vision’.
Meanwhile, Nicky Trevorrow, a behaviour manager for the UK charity Cats Protection, said:
Most animals need space and can find kisses to the face too much and quite confrontational. Despite the kind intentions here, it shows the importance of understanding and being able to read a cat body language and facial expression, for example, the ears going back and the cat leaning away.
But she warned that cats ‘have a limit to how much petting they can handle’. They prefer short but frequent interactions of play and petting.
Contact your vet if your cat shows aggressive behavior as it’s vital to rule out any health-related causes.
Read more:
⋙ Does your cat recognise itself in the mirror?
⋙ Do cats actually like to be kissed? Here's what they're really thinking
Sources used:
- Newsweek: 'Exact Moment Cat Scratches Woman's Eye, Leaving Her Blind, Caught on Video'
