A once-abused black cat has captured hearts online after finally finding her voice—by squeaking.
Rolo, a rescued cat who remained silent for five months after being adopted, now communicates with gentle squeaks instead of traditional meows. A video of her new vocal habit, shared on TikTok, has gone viral with nearly 1 million views.
“She was silent for five months after abuse from a previous person, and then suddenly she found her voice and hasn’t stopped squeaking since,” her owner wrote in the video caption. “Never heard her do a proper meow.”
The clip shows Rolo making a series of soft squeaking sounds. In the comments, her owner explained that she believes the abuse came from a man, as Rolo was initially “terrified of men.” The cat also suffered a broken tail, which has since healed.
Now in a loving home, Rolo is thriving. She has formed a strong bond with the owner’s partner. “She absolutely adores my partner, squeaks at him all day,” her owner shared. “She’s really healed and I’m so proud of her.”
Viewers flooded the comments with support and shared similar stories. One user noted, “My male black cat squeaks like that… think it’s a black cat thing.” Another added, “My cat was like this for five years. Then we moved, and she saw the garden. She meowed so loud and has been chatty ever since.”
Others shared how patience helped their shy or traumatized cats open up. “My girl wasn’t abused, just very shy from being feral. She didn’t make a sound. But one day she meowed after she started purring. Now I have to put my ear close to hear it, but it’s a lovely sound,” one person wrote.
As one commenter simply put it, Rolo’s recovery shows that “she feels like someone’s baby again.”
