Cat and guinea pig meet for the first time in adorable TikTok encounter
Durham, North Carolina - Delilah the cat had TikTok users in tears in her first encounter with foster guinea pig Reginald.
Courtney Hill, a volunteer animal foster parent from Durham, North Carolina, took in Reginald the guinea pig and introduced him to her feline friend on February 9.
Since Hill normally cares for rabbits, Delilah the cat was particularly perplexed by the new arrival.
In a recent TikTok that garnered more than 2.2 million views, the 27-year-old shows how her kitty approaches the guinea pig in apparent fascination.
Initially, Reginald appears frozen in place as Delilah walks toward his nest on a blanket on the couch. Delilah then bats the guinea pig on the back with her paw. Reginald jumps to the side and eyes the cat skeptically.
"I think delilah prefers when we foster bunnies over fostering guinea pigs," Hill wrote along with the clip, "poor Reginald... such a good sport."
Hill dispels fears that Reginald was in danger
If viewers were worried that Reginald may have been in danger, Hill was quick to dispel those fears.
"Reginald isn't scared and is often the one chasing Delilah around," Hill told Newsweek. "I have 11 years of experience with guinea pigs and would never put an animal in harm's way. I would also never leave Delilah and Reginald unsupervised together."
"[Delilah] was curious as to what this oinking fluff ball was. I know Delilah well since she is my pet and her personality, and that is why I allow her to spend time with our foster rabbits and piggos," she continued. "I have a lot of experience in how to approach bonding rabbit pairs or guinea pig pairs and know the warning signs of an upset animal around another."
Hill said she hopes her adorable videos will help raise awareness of the importance of animal fostering.
Cover photo: Collage: TikTok/Screenshots/c_hillll