Elderly Cat Sent Away While Owners Moved House Has Best Reaction to Reunion

An elderly cat’s hilarious response to having to stay at the cattery while his owners move home has left people in stitches.

Shared on TikTok by user @chattyphillip, the video shows the moment Phillip greeted his owner after returning—and he had a few strong words to say about his trip.

Loudly meowing and yelling at his owner from his bed, he conveyed his displeasure at the recent separation.

The text overlay said: “He’s been at the cattery while we were moving. Got him back and this was the response.” The clip quickly earned Phillip the affectionate nickname “chatty Phillip” among TikTok users.

Cats meow pretty much exclusively as a form of communication with humans. While adult cats don’t typically meow at each other, they use the language to convey their feelings to humans.

“Context will usually tell us what a cat wants. If the meow occurs in the kitchen when we’re opening a bag, [the cat] probably means feed me,” cat behaviorist Celia Haddon previously told Newsweek.

She also explained that older cats can often be more vocal than younger ones—something that would make sense given Phillip’s older age. Haddon explained: “Older cats tend to be more vocal than younger ones because they have learned that humans respond to their meows.”

Not all cats seem to be so bothered about their owner leaving them for a short break. Last year, Smudge gained viral attention thanks to her laid-back attitude to her owner being on vacation.

Comments flooded in as people shared their reaction to Phillip’s loud meows.

“He’s fuming,” said one commenter, while another expressed sadness and wrote: “It’s sad that they think you aren’t coming back for them cause they don’t understand.”

The video also prompted other pet owners to share their own experiences of post-separation discontent from their cats.

“My cat attacked me when I came back off holiday,” said one viewer. “My cat used to tell us off for a good ten minutes when we got her home,” said another. “Gave her treats and all was forgiven.”

But amid the commotion, the owner explained that Phillip was completely fine before long.

“He is all settled now,” she said in a follow-up comment. “He’s a very old spoilt boy. Very vocal and so loving,” they said.

Newsweek reached out to @chattyphillip via TikTok for comment.

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