The Weird Reason People Are Filming Their Cats With Eggs

Thanks to TikTok, people have been giving their cats eggs — but not to eat. Instead, they're giving their cats eggs because of a claim that cats will instinctively protect them. The trend seems to have been started by TikTok user @annafromtiktok who uploaded a TikTok video of someone (presumably herself) handing a cat an egg and saying, "Apparently if you give a cat an egg, they protect it, because it's fragile."

Sure enough, the cat wraps a paw around the egg and begins to lick it. Other users tried to duplicate the video, along with the original audio, to varying degrees of success. Some TikTok cats protect the egg while others play with the egg or smash it.

Did we expect anything less? Cats will be cats, after all, and if cats are known for one thing it's their contrariness.

If you want to try this at home, it might be safer to give your cat a hard boiled egg instead of a raw egg. For starters, it's going to be less messy to clean up a hard boiled egg if your cat doesn't protect the egg and decides to take a more destructive route.

A hard boiled egg is also better for your cat if they end up breaking the egg open and eating it. The American Veterinary Medical Association "discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans." That includes eggs.

Giving a cat some cooked egg is fine, although you shouldn't overdo it. "Feed just a tiny amount because you don't want to put too many calories in your cat's diet," said Purina Senior Nutritionist Jan Dempsey on the Purina website. That means you'll want to keep a close eye on your cat if you do give them an egg. Although, let's be real, you'll probably be filming the whole thing anyway.