A cat’s emotional reaction as two foster kittens left has deeply touched viewers online.
Alissa Moulster, 25, and her boyfriend fostered Phoebe and Joey, two 6-week-old kittens, for just over two weeks. The siblings needed care before they could join their forever family.
During this time, Moulster noticed that her resident cat, Martini, formed a strong bond with the kittens. Phoebe and Joey often followed Martini around, copying her behavior. Moulster told Newsweek Martini was “like their role model.”
Having fostered kittens most of her life, Moulster was familiar with saying goodbye. But when it came time for Phoebe and Joey to leave, Martini was clearly not ready.
“We knew she enjoyed their company, but as we were about to hand the kittens over, Martini kept jumping on the carrier and pulling the kittens down,” Moulster said.
She added, “We were confused because we’d never seen this before. When we put the carrier down, she backed off. But every time we picked it up, she jumped up and pulled it down so we couldn’t leave.”
Seeing Martini so upset broke Moulster’s heart. She hadn’t realized how attached and protective Martini had become. “It also made me happy because I saw how much love she had for those little babies,” she said.
Moulster believes Martini still misses Phoebe and Joey. Now, whenever the door opens, Martini “runs full speed toward it,” as if waiting for them to return.
Moulster shared a video of Martini’s reaction on TikTok (@alissaxxjo). The clip went viral, earning over 370,000 views and 62,100 likes.
The video’s caption read, “My heart is aching. Why did I think I was strong enough to do this?”
The response was overwhelming. Many praised Moulster’s care for the kittens, while others asked why she couldn’t keep them for Martini’s sake. Moulster explained that fostering was temporary, and a contract prevented her from keeping them. Also, she and her partner live in a one-bedroom apartment with two cats already, so adding more was not practical.
“I grew up fostering, and when I moved to NYC, I missed that part of my life,” Moulster said. “We want to foster again but may change how we do it so my cats don’t get as attached. That way, saying goodbye will be easier.”
Martini’s touching farewell moved many social media users, leading to over 430 comments. One wrote, “She has so much love to give for the next group of foster kitties.” Another said, “Saying goodbye is hard, but what a gift to that kitten.” A third commented, “Don’t do this to my heart.”
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