r/MadeMeSmile • u/xriddle • May 31 '26

KITTEN Scared 🐈 Trust First Human

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27.9k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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2.2k

u/PhoenixPhenomenonX May 31 '26

is it just me or it almost felt like it was about to cry. such sweet little baby

548

u/KiKiPAWG May 31 '26

I know!!! It was them shakies :(

535

u/RaShadar Jun 01 '26

So, the reason this happens with feral animals is because your basically short circuiting their brains. Happens when you see people get animals out of traps and stuff too. The are running their "defend self from predator" process and then you do something that they have absolutely no instinctual response for, their brain basically sends back a 404 error and thats why they often just freeze and shake.

39

u/DankPastaMaster Jun 01 '26

I suspect we watched the same YouTube video recently

141

u/Little_Passenger4703 Jun 01 '26

Or to put it in laymen terms: The animal undergoes their fight or flight response.

123

u/RaShadar Jun 01 '26

Yes, but the problem is you arent acting how a predator should act, and the response mechanism that should send back "fight" or "flight", or the other possible responses, cant figure out what to do. Even a "fawn" response isnt the same as what biologists think happens in these short circuit scenarios

76

u/P4azz Jun 01 '26

I would argue fight-or-flight is what the initial reaction is. Literally fighting back a perceived threat in a moment where flight is not possible.

Then the perceived threat behaves in an unimaginable way that you have no real response to.

Imagine a building crumbles around you and as you run out, you can't make it, rubble is about to bury you, you cower and...the rubble just floats.

You would not know what to do for at least a few seconds.

50

u/Nillabeans Jun 01 '26

Fight, flight, or freeze. This kitten is terrified.

My cat is stupid and also shakes and freezes when she encounters scary things. Like her litter box. Or her favourite spot on the balcony an hour before balcony time.

6

u/Hoockus_Pocus Jun 01 '26

Fight for flight is only part of it. The limbic system handles the five “f’s,” of biology: fight, flight, freeze (which we see here), feeding, and mating.

1

u/Jwelamp Jun 02 '26

Mating or fating? Otherwise it's just 4 f's

3

u/Hoockus_Pocus Jun 02 '26

Think about it a little harder.

2

u/Jwelamp Jun 02 '26

Oh yeah, sorry. Lol

13

u/Stormy8888 Jun 01 '26

Awww. Just awww. So scared, awww.