Cat's Reaction When Owner Shaves Beard Has Internet Howling: 'Betrayal'

A cat was clearly left feeling disappointed with his owner's decision to shave his beard and the internet can't get enough of his reaction. In a viral TikTok video shared by @lauratheexplora__, Ferris can be seen snuggling with his owner Jordan Ousley, 35, and showing him affection by rubbing his face on his beard. The six-year-old orange cat appears to be oozing with love for his teacher owner, but in the next clip, his behavior completely changes.

Ferris looks annoyed, to say the least. His reaction has gained a lot of traction online and the video has racked up 3.1 million views in just three days. Newsweek reached out to the man's wife, Laura, from Kokomo, Indiana, who explained the reason why her husband didn't shave until recently. She said: "Last year, Jordan was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease that caused him to lose about 45 pounds. "He was self-conscious about his appearance and did not want to shave his beard because of this. During this time our cat got used to his long beard and loved rubbing his face in it. "Since starting treatment, he was able to gain all his weight back and felt confident to shave again. But our cat was not a fan of this decision!" Ousley was diagnosed with regional ischemic immune myopathy, a chronic inflammatory condition that causes muscle weakness. While this rare disease left Ousley feeling unhappy with his looks, it seems Ferris grew to love them more than ever. Cat nuzzling is the ultimate form of affection from a feline, it involves rubbing or nudging the head against a human's face or neck. It is a cat's way of saying "I love you" to its owner.

Leaving Its 'Mark'

Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc, an American pet food company, has explained exactly why they do it. Cats have many scent glands on their head, especially in the nose, mouth, and chin area - so every time they rub against their owner, the glands leave behind a "mark." They are also using their strong sense of smell to establish their owner's scent. Previously, Newsweek shared an article explaining why cats lick their owners and how felines show affection. So far, more than 580 TikTok users have commented on the video, which has 542,000 likes. One comment said: "It's like he's saying, I'm not even going to look at you lol." Another comment with over 30,000 likes said: "Such an orange cat thing to do, they're so vindictive." "It's the betrayal [you] can [see] in his eyes," said another. One user sympathized with Ferris and said: "I'd be mad too if my back scratcher suddenly disappeared."

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