Angry Cat Glaring at Owner's House Guest Has Internet in Hysterics

Footage of a grumpy cat staring down a house guest has the internet in stitches.

In a video shared to TikTok on October 14, an orange tabby called Lily can be seen glaring at her owner's friend, who had the "audacity" to sit on the sofa.

Since being posted, the hilarious clip has received almost 3 million views and nearly 328,000 likes, with fellow cat owners finding the footage highly relatable.

Do Cats Hate People?

They may have a reputation for being aloof, but studies show that cats really do love their owners. Nevertheless, our feline friends show affection differently than dogs, which can confuse some people.

Licking you, following you around, bringing you "presents" (such as dead mice), purring, and even showing you their butt are all signs that your cat cares. But, what if you're not their chosen human?

Janet Cutler—certified cat behaviorist at Cat World—said there are many reasons why cats like some people and hate others.

"It could be based on the cats' personality, their experience, and their level of comfort at the time," she told Newsweek.

"Cats tend to like to approach people rather than having people approach them, so having a stranger approach and pet them could cause them to stay away."

Feline behavior consultant Stephen Quandt said that cats tend to favor the person who feeds and plays with them the most, falling into a "kitten-mother" relationship (regardless of gender).

"In a multi-person home, I often hear a complaint that their cat favors one person over the other," he told Newsweek. "I always ask who feeds the cat and usually the answer is the favored person."

However, Quandt agrees there is some truth to the whole "cats like to play hard to get" thing.

"If you have a visitor in your home who doesn't really like cats, they ignore your cat," he said.

"This signals positive vibes to the cat and before too long they are all over your visitor because they are ignoring them. Even your cat is more likely to spend extra time with you if they initiate the contact."

Lily's owner told Newsweek that the 9-year-old tabby lives with her in Toronto.

"She is very vocal and loves attention from me (her favorite human) and my husband (the spare human)," she said.

"She always has to be in the same room as us. She has good days, where she is very cuddly, and some days where she keeps an 'arm-length distance' between her and us.

"She is very assertive and only does things on her terms."

She also explained that Lily hates every other human besides her and her husband, especially if the human is "not a cat person."

"She never bites or scratches, just stares intensely until guests feel uncomfortable," she said.

'Cats Are So Subtle'

Captioned "When the humans invite a 'friend' over," the clip shows Lily staring intensely at her owner's (@orange._lily) friend. The woman is just chilling on the couch but begins laughing awkwardly under Lily's evil gaze.

Soundtracked to rapper Ludacris's "Move B****," Lily doesn't blink even once during the nine-second clip.

"That's one unimpressed queen," commented user revolutionary.

"A new hooman to pass judgement on," joked Helen C.

"Cats are so subtle," said user ndirishmom.

"You must be sitting in his spot," wrote Sablestarlite, to which @orange._lily replied. "The whole apartment is 'her spot.'"

While user8544488047082 said: "I'm never going to your house. Can't take the judgement."

Lily isn't the only feline to go viral over a death stare. A senior rescue cat with a permanent scowl stole Redditor's hearts earlier this month, while a kitten with a perpetually angry expression was recently dubbed "Grumpy Cat 2.0."

Update 12/07/22 04.48a.m. E.T.: This article was updated to include more information from the original poster, @orange._lily.