'Special Needs' Cat Forgetting Where Family Is Melts Hearts Online

A British cat with both hearing and memory issues, described by its owner as "special needs," is melting hearts online after featuring in a video with over 17 million views.

Qatsby the cat has gained over 3 million likes with the clip of her forgetting where her family is, despite still being in the kitchen of the home.

"Qatsby is deaf with memory issues and often forgets where we are," read the on-screen text of the TikTok video, uploaded on November 8.

The cat was heard from another part of the house, loudly meowing until her owner appeared in eyesight. As if by magic, the meows immediately perked up, sounding happy once more. The mere sight, and reminder, of her owner was enough to trigger her to stand back up and move again.

According to the TikTok account, Qatsby is often left needing reassurance of her owners' presence, as other videos show them running from one side of the house to the other, in a bid to ensure the cries don't last too long.

Qatsby was deaf when they adopted her, and no longer has an "inside voice," but also suffers with memory issues. Despite no confirmation on exactly why this is, many cats find this happens in their later years, just as humans do.

It's estimated that feline cognitive dysfunction affects over 55 percent of cats aged between 11 to 15 years and over 80 percent of cats aged between 16 to 20.

Memory, learning abilities, awareness and hearing perception all tend to deteriorate in cats with feline cognitive dysfunction.

Viewers of the video rushed to express their reactions to Qatsby and her struggles, with many noting just how heartwarming the relationship between this cat and owner is.

"That's the happiest meow I've ever heard," wrote one user.

"Sometimes she forgets where you are but she always remembers that she loves you," added another.

"I love how their meow changes when they see you. I had an elderly cat who did this in the middle of the night and was so content when she saw us," recalled a TikTok viewer.

Just this week, another cat unsurprisingly took the internet by storm, with its hilariously sad expressions over being "excluded from dinner."

Bertie the cat has featured in various viral tweets showing pictures of him sat up at the dinner table, with no plate in front of him.

"He's currently staying with my parents while I move home, but I miss him terribly. So they have been sending me lots of updates and my dad started sending me the daily photographs of him looking at the dinner table," owner K. Cooper told Newsweek.