04-07-2025
Woman Wakes Up To Discover Her Indoor Cat Outside, Then Checks Security Cam
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A cat owner was confused when she found her indoor feline outside, but things got even more interesting when she checked her security camera footage.
In a viral Instagram video shared in May under the username @danny_just_sendit, the poster walks through her yard to find her long-haired indoor cat lying in the grass by herself.
"When I woke up and found my indoor cat outside. So I checked to see what she was doing all night and..." reads layover text in the clip, as the following shot shows the kitty at night pouncing across the yard in a full display of hunting behavior.
"The answer is frolicking," the poster writes in the caption shared along with the video.
Domestic cats don't need to hunt to survive and they know it, but they still do it because it's an instinctual behavior they inherited from their wild ancestors, and they enjoy it, that's why they're usually very good at it.
When they hunt they don't always eat their prey. Often cats kill critters and then just leave it to rot without touching it, and according to an article by Jess Kirk on the website Vet Explains Pets, this may be because they aren't hungry, or because they just see the prey as a toy.
Eating prey can be dangerous for cats, especially mice, which can carry disease, parasites and even poison. That's why it's probably better for you to remove their catch instead of letting them eat it.
In most cases, hunting behavior can't be stopped. But you can provide them with different forms of entertainment to keep them away from the fauna, including toys, climbing spots and a safe, enclosed yard area to play in.
A stock image shows a tabby cat walking in the bushes.
A stock image shows a tabby cat walking in the bushes.
getty images
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 1.8 million views and 131,023 likes.
One user, commented: "It's just cat stuff mom you wouldn't understand."
Raggedymama said: "Girl just needed to touch grass for a bit."
Another user, Cltabony, wrote: "I once discovered my sassy cat had busted through the screen, and I had no idea how long she had been outside. I assumed she was lost and scared. I went outside and called for her frantically. She came sauntering from around the corner of the house, meowing at me like I was overreacting."
Newsweek reached out to @danny_just_sendit for comment via Instagram comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.