Viewers couldn’t help but laugh when a cat named Jojo returned home with an unusual trophy—the neighbor’s fully cooked chicken!
Instead of the usual rodents or birds, Jojo made his entrance in the backyard, much to his owner’s surprise. Cas Smith, Jojo’s owner from Sussex, U.K., shared a video on TikTok that quickly racked up over 147,000 views.
In the clip, Jojo is happily nibbling on his bizarre catch. While cooked chicken can be a nutritious treat for cats, remember to always remove bones beforehand to prevent choking.
Cas humorously remarked, “Hopefully, my neighbor wasn’t looking forward to their chicken dinner tonight,” alongside a note about Jojo “practicing his hunting skills.”
@cxsn1cole/TikTok
While unsure of the chicken’s origin, Cas speculated, “I think it was one of my neighbors since I heard some shouting as he jumped the fence!”
The TikTok post prompted a flood of similar anecdotes from other pet owners. For instance, one user, Jade, shared, “My old cat once brought back a cooked steak!” while Lucky chimed in, recalling a time when their cat swiped a neighbor’s roast.
Viewers were quick to applaud Jojo’s “hard-earned” meal, with one commenter, Tiff, suggesting, “That boy’s eating his hard-earned chicken! He probably had to go into someone’s house for that!”
Why Do Cats Hunt?
Jojo’s culinary caper may seem playful, but there are deeper reasons behind such behavior. A 2021 study in Current Biology conducted by the University of Exeter dug into why even pampered house cats hunt.
The research unveiled two main motivators: instinct and boredom. Despite being domesticated, cats hold onto their ancestral predatory instincts. Moreover, when bored, they often hunt—be it for real prey or an unwary meal—as a form of entertainment and mental enrichment.