Knowing Hurricane Milton was about to rip through Florida, one couple couldn’t leave the neighborhood stray cat outside alone to face the storm. They welcomed her inside with their three dogs, but what happened after a few days took the whole family by surprise.
The couple started noticing the stray cat about a year ago when they moved into the neighborhood. Casey, known on TikTok as @casecorley, fed the cat, admiring his friendliness. Their relationship grew as the stray allowed them to pet him. He would come running when they called for him.
“I asked around the neighborhood his deal and one neighbor told us it was an old neighbor’s cat that they just left,” Casey told Newsweek via TikTok. “It wasn’t until the 4th of July when we first brought him in. He nearly darted into our house when I opened the door because of the fireworks, which he was always super reluctant to come too close to because I have three dogs.”
The couple started discussing the possibility of keeping him after that sleepover; however, since they were both allergic to cats, it didn’t seem possible. Plus, the cat never seemed to be a fan of the dogs. Fast-forward to Hurricane Milton and Casey finally decided to make this cat their forever feline. They downed allergy medicine and let him inside, introducing him to the dogs one by one.
“It’s like all the animals knew the storm was approaching and were just very chill,” she said. “The night of Milton we all slept in our one bathroom without windows and every did really well…After the night of the storm I knew I couldn’t let him back outside because he truly was part of our family.”
They officially took the cat, now named Tangerine, in… forever. Tangerine started warming up to the dogs, so much so that he started imitating their every move. Casey’s October 15 TikTok video showed ways Tangerine started “turning into a dog.”
Tangerine picked up habits from the dogs and now watches the neighborhood from the windows, sleeps in the dog’s arms, drinks water from the dog bowl and enjoys endless cuddles from the whole family.
“He’s been amazing, one of the family members and already rules the house/has gotten so comfy,” Casey said.
It didn’t take long for the dogs to warm up to Tangerine. They always were interested in befriending the cat even when he lived outside. Now they’re obsessed. Casey said the youngest dog won’t leave Tangerine alone.
As far as their allergies go, they’re getting used to it.
“We’re still a little allergic but would take a sneeze over not having him in our quirky family any day,” she said.
TikTok users have followed Tangerine’s journey since the couple first brought him in before the hurricane. And now that he has fully embraced the dogs, people can’t get enough. The October 15 clip amassed nearly 20,000 views and 3,105 likes by Thursday.
“It’s amazing to see. I’ve never witnessed such a fast bond between a single cat and dog, let alone a cat and 3 dogs. This was meant to be,” said one viewer.
Another added: “He is getting SOOOO much love there.”
Screenshots from an October 15 TikTok video of an adopted stray cat “turning into a dog.” The previous stray cat was brought in before Hurricane Milton and has since picked up dog habits.
@casecorley/TikTok
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.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
