Man Goes to Adopt One Kitten, Unprepared for How Many Cats He Ends Up With

A video showing a man becoming the proud owner of not one, not two, but three kittens has racked up 1.7 million views on Instagram.

The footage, posted by @the_maine_trio, shows the new owner walking toward his front door in Cheshire, England, holding a cat carrier. The clip then cuts to the grand reveal of his new furry family.

In the video’s caption, the poster wrote that he initially wanted only one kitten but ended up reserving two. Then, during the drive home, he and his partner “couldn’t stop thinking” about their sister, who was left behind.

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“We sat in the car for a short while deliberating what to do,” the poster wrote, “eventually, we knocked on the door and asked if we could also buy the little girl. And the rest is history.”

Newsweek has contacted @the_maine_trio for comment via Instagram. We could not verify the details of the case.

Now 18 weeks old, the kittens are getting bigger by the day and may outgrow an average cat. According to Purina, a pet food company, “The Maine Coon is a massive cat with a powerful muscular athletic body.” So it’s safe to say their owners are going to have their hands full.

In another video, the trio can be seen lying together in a hammock. Their owner wrote in the caption: “I can’t imagine for one second how much regret I would of had, had we not returned for Chilli. Keeping these three siblings together, and sharing our home with them, has just been the most amazing feeling!”

Do Cats Thrive in Groups or Alone?

Newsweek reached out to Dr. Anna Foreman, a veterinarian who works for Everypaw Pet Insurance in the U.K., to find out if three is a crowd.

“Cats tend to thrive better in a solitary scenario, being either the only cat or only pet. They tend to be territorial toward other cats by nature, with both males and females (despite neutering status) behaving similarly,” Foreman said.

She added: “Cats who have been together since kittens (i.e., littermates) can sometimes thrive as a pair or trio. However, there is the risk of littermate syndrome, where the kittens interact only with each other and fail to socialize outside this group, leading to behavioral problems. Littermate syndrome is more of a concern with dogs, however, with many kittens brought up with their siblings then preferring to lead a solitary life.”

Foreman advised owners with multiple cats to ensure each has its own space so they do not have to compete.

Instagram Reacts

The May 25 clip has received more than 68,000 likes and 1,000 comments, many of which offer tips to the new owners.

Other user wrote: “Maine cons are the best! Congrats on your babies. Be prepared for the best laughs and mischievousness beyond anything you could imagine. They ‘talk’ and get into all sorts of things. I had 2 at once and they were a handful. The oldest and most adventurous one just passed last week! Enjoy, laugh and love them and congrats again!”

Another added, “Your kitten needed a kitten and his kitten needed a kitten!!”

Some users weren’t happy that the owners purchased their pets rather than adopting from a shelter. “Why not adopt from shelters? Thousands of cats are left abandoned on the streets,” one commenter wrote.

“I love the kittens you adopted. As a breeder of Maine Coons they are paid for but so are rescue cats. Why people get hung up on something that does not affect them I have no idea,” another user said, adding, “I love when families decide to have multiple kittens join their family at the same time. So much better for the kittens. Good choice.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.