Dramatic Pet Pretends to Be Dead ‘Every Day’ for the Most Cat Reason Ever

A woman has gone viral for showing off her pet cat’s unusual way of telling her that she is ready to be fed.

Any cat owner will tell you their feline has a specific way of telling you it’s dinnertime, from meowing loudly to becoming far more affectionate than usual. But 4-year-old Macy has a far more dramatic strategy: pretending she’s literally dying from starvation.

Promotions worker Rylie Peacock owns the quirky ginger cat, and shared a video to TikTok on April 25 showing Macy laying flat on her back, perfectly still, with her paws curled up on her belly. Peacock, from Nova Scotia in Canada, told Newsweek that Macy had been doing her playing-dead-for-food routine for years, and the owner said that it was incredibly cute and funny.

In the clip, which has been viewed close to 1 million times, Peacock walks over to Macy, who doesn’t move until the owner is directly above her; the cat then opens her eyes and jerks her head toward her owner, as if to see if she has any food. Peacock wrote on the video, “Playing dead to tell me she’s hungry,” adding in a caption that it was an everyday occurrence.

Having adopted Macy into her family from a rescue center when the animal was just a 9-week-old kitten, Peacock said that Macy’s dramatic request for food works on her 50 percent of the time.

“But, typically, I’ll just give her a treat, unless it’s time for her dinner anyway,” Peacock added.

“She’s a very clumsy cat and is not great at balancing, which is why I get such a laugh when she manages to balance on her back.”

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says that it is normal for cats to be “quite demanding around mealtimes.”

“Some cats learn to meow whenever anyone enters the kitchen, just in case food might be forthcoming. Others meow to wake you up to serve them breakfast,” the organization writes.

While Macy’s way of asking for food doesn’t involve meowing, Peacock said the cat can be very vocal in other ways, as she is “also a huge birdwatcher and does this cute cackle when she sees them.”

TikTok users went wild for the video, with hundreds taking to the comment section where one described cats as “so comical and dramatic.”

“Definitely at death’s door,” one wrote, with another adding: “Oh the drama!”

“That’s how I am when it takes too long to deliver my food,” a third posted.

Peacock told Newsweek she had never expected her cat’s escapades to go viral, saying that she was in shock.

“It hasn’t stopped, every day it gets thousands of more views,” she added.

“She’s such a special little kitty and I love her so much. I’m just happy I get to share her with the rest of the world.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.