Which is exactly how a kitten called Augustas managed to get stuck inside a potato masher, after sneakily climbing on a kitchen counter.
The kitten’s owner shared a clip to her TikTok page, @macponthetrack, which can be watched here.
It shows the ginger tabby tumbling off the counter and rolling around on the floor as he tries to extricate himself—and it looks as if a handle is sticking out of his belly in the bizarre optical illusion.
Viewers feared Augustas had been stabbed, but it soon became apparent the kitten was merely wrapped around the kitchen utensil.
The video, which was shared on Tuesday from an unknown location, is captioned: “A mashed potato kitten.” It has already been watched more than 50 million times and racked up 8.5 million likes.
In the clip, the kitten’s owner tries to soothe her panicked pet, saying: “This is why you don’t climb on the freaking counters. Augustas! Calm down. Mommy’s got you. Hold on. I don’t even know what you did, oh my God.”
She continues to film the kitten’s hilarious predicament, stretching out a hand to try to free him from the cookware.
The sight caused a number of viewers to do a double-take, with JWalshMovies commenting: “Who else thought it went through the cat?”
Grim Delta posted: “I saw the handle first and thought your cat had a knife sticking out of it.”
Joseph Abell asked: “Anyone thought he was impaled at first?”
Angela Careful exclaimed: “My god I thought he was stabbed.”
Mallorie added: “I thought it was a knife through the back.”
In a follow-up clip, Augustas’ owners responded to questions about how she got the masher off.
“It was actually easier than it looked! It just slid right off,” she said. People asked to see the video of her extricating him, but she confirmed: “I don’t have one. I was too concerned in the moment to film lol but it was actually very easy to get him out.”
She added: “I’m literally buying cameras lol like what if he got stuck in the mashed potato holder when I wasn’t home.”
Explaining cats’ uncanny ability to land on their feet, the website Pet Plan states: “Cats evolved to live in trees, and many wild feline species still do. Millions of years of springing or falling from a height ensure they have adapted to handle it well.
“Their impressive ‘righting reflex’ enables them to twist their bodies around while falling, to land squarely on all four feet. Cats have a large body surface area compared with their weight, which also helps reduce the force of their landing.
“They also have great flexibility in their bones and ligaments, which helps them to sustain minimal injury from impacts.”
Newsweek has reached out to @macponthetrack for comment.
