:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(736x360:738x362)/stray-cat-012626-699d8995bfcd4d47b1a4a622abff03be.jpg?ssl=1 "Woman Adopts Stray Cat She Housed During Texas Snowstorm (Exclusive)")
NEED TO KNOW
- A Texas woman shared a viral TikTok showing how she took in a neighborhood stray cat during a winter ice storm
- After the cat refused to use a heated outdoor house, she brought him inside, where he quickly made himself at home
- Viewers flooded the comments with praise, and she eventually revealed the cat’s new name: Clyde
As a powerful winter storm swept across the United States this past weekend, one woman found herself opening her home — and her heart — to an unexpected guest.
On TikTok, user @charlenewilts, who lives in Texas, shared a video of an orange cat curled up on her bed. “POV: you accidentally adopt a cat during an ice storm,” she wrote across the clip.
In the caption, Charlene explained how the moment came to be. “Bought the neighborhood stray a heated house for the ice storm but he wouldn’t use it, so naturally the next step was to have him move in 😆.”
Speaking with PEOPLE, she elaborates on her decision to move the cat into her home.
“Originally, I bought him a heated house, but he refused to go in so I put blankets outside, and he was curled into them the night before it got super cold,” she says. “When I went outside to check on him, he got into my arms and buried his face, so I know that he was cold and that leaving him outside for the remaining days was not an option for his safety.”
Charlene already owns a couple of cats, but she maintains that “taking him in was an easy decision.”
“He was so happy to come inside! I separated him from the other cats in my home and he was able to rest peacefully and stay out of freezing cold temperatures,” she continues. “I love cats and it’s so hard to see animals so vulnerable and helpless, so of course taking him in was an easy decision.”
The video quickly struck a chord with viewers, racking up thousands of views and prompting an outpouring of reactions in the comments.
“Making the right choices in life,” one user commented.
“Safe and sound and he looks so happy to be with you 🥹,” another wrote.
Others were convinced the cat had been waiting for this moment all along. “He’s been waitinggggg so patiently for a home,” one person added.
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However, not everyone was sure the cat was truly a stray, though.
“Are you sure that’s a stray? He looks so healthy!” one commenter asked. In response, the TikToker clarified, “I’ve been feeding him outside and so have our neighbors! I also cleaned him off when I brought him in 🥰.”
As the comments continued to roll in, one viewer cut straight to the point: “So, what are you naming her?” The answer came shortly after: “Clyde! 🥰.”
