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May 15, 2023

Pet Owner Shows What Cats Get Up to If Left Unattended: 'Need Surveillance'

Cats might make for independent and largely self-sufficient pets, but it's

Cats might make for independent and largely self-sufficient pets, but it's probably worth keeping an eye on your feline friend from time to time.

That's certainly what Amanda, the owner of cat duo Guccie and Lindo, would recommend. In a video posted to TikTok under the handle guccieandlindo, the Toronto-based pet owner provided a perfect showcase of the kind of mischief her two feline friends get up to the minute her back is turned—and it's pretty extreme. So extreme, in fact, that the video has been watched over 600,000 times.

In the clip, Guccie and Lindo can be seen opening freezers, pulling apart an oven and climbing up into a kitchen cupboard. Captioned "Why my cats always need surveillance," the clip serves as a reminder of just how intelligent our feline friends are.

Cats may lag behind dogs in other areas of pet intelligence, but when it comes to solving problems they are arguably better equipped. That was evidenced in a 2006 study published in Animal Cognition in which cats and dogs were tasked with completing a series of puzzles. While the canines sought out help from their owners, the cats tested simply kept trying with the puzzle until they eventually completed it.

This approach may explain why Guccie and Lindo are able to wreak such havoc around their owner's home. Named after the fashion brand, Amanda said Guccie the tabby cat was adopted from a shelter in 2019, with his Bengal sibling Lindo arriving from a breeder in Calgary six months later.

"Guccie has been mischievous since day one," Amanda told Newsweek. "There were times when I'd come home from work and find all the cupboards open. One time it was the fridge and the freezer. There was water all over the floor from all the ice melting and bags of frozen vegetables. It was kinda shocking. It looked as if someone had broken into the place."

"Lindo tried to copy Guccie, but he hasn't quite learned how to open the cupboards all the way through to get inside of them," Amanda added. "Not to say that he's not mischievous, he's more of a climber. He tries to climb the side walls sometimes and slides down scratching them, he also likes climbing curtains. I had temporary paper blinds at one point and he ripped them apart in a matter of minutes after putting them up (for some reason he likes the sound of paper ripping apart). He's a little thief sometimes too, especially when it comes to little things wrapped in plastic, Q tips and lighters."

Amanda has taken steps to try and curb their behavior. She's cat-proofed the fridge and freezer, and the the oven "as one of them managed to switch it on sometime a couple of years back."

"Luckily it happened during the night while I was home," she said. "I was in bed and got up to drink some water, then I saw it was on. That was really shocking, but it was also relieving to know that it happened when I was home."

But while Guccie and Lindo may be partners in crime, Amanda says they are very different cats around the house. "They fight more than they get along and play," she said. "They mostly tolerate each other. They have very opposite personalities. Lindo is very energetic and playful, he loves his cat wheel and playing fetch. Guccie is a bit lazy and not as playful as Lindo."

Amanda hopes that people watching the video will learn that "not all cats can be left unsupervised for extended periods of time."

"Even though cats are mostly independent, it doesn't mean it's always safe to leave them alone for long periods," she said. "It's important to take into consideration their personalities and what they might get up to that could be unsafe while you are gone."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.