Cat misses deceased dog friend: what she then does gets under the skin of many people

Brainerd (Minnesota) - He hadn't had an easy life when he came to his new home in 2019. Stache, a battered cat, had been rescued from the shelter by his new owner Bree. Now, in his new home in Brainerd, Minnesota, the tiger was also confronted with a dog. But male dog Barney gave the cat a very warm welcome right from the start.

Stache the cat and Barney the dog were once best friends. But then the dog died.
Stache the cat and Barney the dog were once best friends. But then the dog died.  © Collage: Screenshots/TikTok/@breeseff

The unlikely four-legged friends were soon to become best friends. But their journey together ended in September 2024.

Bree spoke to Newsweek last week about her two pets. "They hit it off almost immediately and often cuddled together on the sofa or played together," she said.

Barney even taught Stache a few things that only dogs do. For one thing, Stache eventually took a liking to fetching.

For another, he did the same as his furry friend and greeted his owner together when she came home.

But after five wonderful years together, the animals' friendship took a sad turn.

Heartbreaking TikTok video shows a grieving cat

A bittersweet picture: Stache the cat sits in Barney's place for the first time after his death, bowing his head in mourning.
A bittersweet picture: Stache the cat sits in Barney's place for the first time after his death, bowing his head in mourning.  © Screenshot/TikTok/@breeseff

Barney became seriously ill with cancer. "He was extremely weak and his quality of life was declining rapidly. So we had to make the decision, and when his last appointment came, I knew he was ready, even if I never would be," Bree told US Magazine.

While she was with her dog until his last breath, Stache couldn't be with his best friend when he died.

When she returned home, Bree realized her cat was looking for his canine friend: "It wasn't until four days later, when I saw him sitting on Barney's bed, that he seemed to realize Barney was gone."

Moved, Bree filmed the moment of the grieving cat, who had never sat on the dog's bed before. She uploaded the video to TikTok on September 11, along with some older footage of the furry friends.

It did not fail to make an impact there. It has received more than four million clicks and a good 900,000 likes so far.

Both Bree and her cat are now mourning the loss of Barney. Neither of them are thinking about a new dog. First of all, they want to come to terms with saying goodbye.