In a viral Instagram video, a couple who live in the French Alps showed their Siberian cat the snow for the first time—his unexpected reaction has left internet users in stitches.
The hilarious clip shared on Thursday under the username @jaynehilditch, shows the poster’s husband grabbing their tabby Siberian and placing him onto the snow for the very first time—but the cat’s reaction is not at all what they were expecting.
As soon as his paws touch the snow covered ground, the kitty immediately turns around and runs back home, showing what he really thinks of winter despite his breed.
“Excuse me, sir. I am an indoor cat,” the caption reads.
The poster, Jayne Hilditch, told Newsweek that her cat, Sergei, is a 9-year-old Siberian they rescued back in April, and since this was his first winter since his adoption, they thought he would love playing outside in the snow.
“We opened up the patio doors to let him out, but he pretty much ignored it… so my husband carried him to see if he might be keen once he got up close to it. But he was having none of it—turned tail and trotted back indoors to sit right where the underfloor heating is at its warmest!
“Given he’s not keen on the snow—that’s the one and only time we’ll try and introduce him to it!”
According to Hilditch, he’s a very gentle, very affectionate cat, who loves nothing more than sleeping on his owners’ lap or being groomed.
“In the last few months we’ve managed to do some training with him—so he now offers a paw for a treat—just like a dog would do,” she said.
Siberian cats, along with Maine coon, and Norwegian forest cats, are among the domestic felines that usually love snow the most. However, just because they’re considered a snow breed it doesn’t mean that they have to like the snow.
In fact, while some cat breeds may be naturally more keen to like snow and cold weather, this ultimately depends on the individual cat and their unique feelings.
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 4.8 million views and 160,000 likes on the platform.
One user, Mel.n.movimiento, commented: “That’s the most graceful ‘nope’ I’ve ever seen.”
Chaletlepery said: “Bless him, you have obviously spoilt him too much with home comforts.”
mady_78_jesolo added: “All that fur means they can resist on the snow… not that they want to.”
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.
