Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cats

The newest TikTok trend is cute, but not great for cats

Seeing a cat cry because you're chopping onions might look funny on TikTok, but it can be harmful to your pet

Rebekkah Adams
By

If you haven’t spotted the #onioncryingchallenge yet on TikTok, you’ll be surprised to see all the little square faces pop up as its stars. That’s right, cats will tear up when an onion is cut just like us. It can be cute and funny to see small tears squeezed out of their scrunched up eyes, but don’t reach for the knife just yet. There are risks to your kitty that might make you stop and reconsider this particular trend.

@lovimals

Who’s cutting onions? ? (@Jakeyy_boy) #cat #catsoftiktok #cattok #onions

♬ original sound – Lovimals

We can’t lie, we’ve watched a few of these TikTok viral videos and given an “Aw” for the adorbs cats who can’t help but shed a tear. They start out with a pet parent chopping up an onion with the feline nearby watching. At first, she blinks, then squints, and finally her eyes get leaky. If you’ve ever had this root bring on the waterworks, you know exactly where she’s coming from. Commenters were quick to jump in to share a laugh or offer tips on keeping the tears at bay, while many cat moms were distraught having just learned that onion tears work on furry friends too.

Related
@kaylo.art.designs

I’m the worst mother ever I am so sad #cryingcat #crying #cryingcatmeme #catcries? #sadcat #onioncryingchallenge #imtheworstpersonever #imtheworstmotherever #isuck #imsorrymybaby

♬ original sound – ✿Kaylo.Art.Designs✿

Why do onions make us (and cats) cry?

Of course, this is a complicated chemical process, but basically, volatile sulfur compounds (called syn-propanethial-S-oxide) get released into the air and irritate your eyeballs. As soon as they hit the retinas, you’ll start to tear up. This is a natural reflex that attempts to block your eye from the harmful gas and therefore protect it. Your cat is doing the same thing! They don’t like the onion vapors either and cry tears to protect their beautiful orbs.

Cat walks on the counter in a kitchen
Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

Are onions harmful to cats?

While the odd tear or two won’t kill anyone, you should move kitty to a different room any time you have onions around. The gas or liquid will bother her eyes temporarily though it should go away. If she gets any of the juice actually on her face it could be more serious. In addition, onions are actually poisonous to cats. Do not let her ingest them in any form — cooked, raw, or dried. They contain chemicals that break down her blood cells which causes anemia and eventually death. It takes only a few grams to get this process started, so we recommend keeping onions and cats separated whenever possible. If she does swallow a piece, call your vet or animal poison control to figure out the next steps.

Recommended Videos

Naturally, we love funny cat videos as much as the next person, possibly even more. But it might be best to leave this particular one off your list. You don’t want to find your cat gets too much in their eyes and it takes a while for them to stop rubbing or worse, they eat some onions, which causes a trip to the vet. All in all, cats and onions shouldn’t mix.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Rebekkah Adams
Rebekkah Adams
Contributor
Rebekkah’s been a writer and editor for more than 10 years, both in print and digital. In addition to writing about pets…
This video of a confused kitty discovering a cat water fountain is adorable
Your feline might actually prefer a cat water fountain if you can teach her how to use it
A tiny gray kitten drinks from a ceramic plate

Humans see water fountains just about every day, but that doesn't mean our pets understand them. In the wild, most animals probably drink running water but are unlikely to approach a waterfall for their liquid needs (and let's not forget, many of our pets' undomesticated counterparts get most of their hydration needs from food). But what happens when a kitten does discover a cat water fountain and wants to take a sip? This baby cat shows us in a video entitled "She can play for a day."

It opens with a tiny gray kitten putting her little paws up to an equally tiny water fountain. She spends some seconds examining it before diving in to attempt a drink only to be surprised by the splashiness. So kitten takes a different approach: standing up on the edges of the fountain to get at the water from the top. Kitty gets in a few licks until her paw winds up in the water — needless to say, the little fuzzball does not like that. The video ends with the gray cat shaking off her now slightly damp paws and giving up (we suspect she has a real water dish somewhere else).

Read more
Why doesn’t my cat meow? Here are 5 reasons why your feline friend is silent
Physical and mental reasons why a cat suddenly stops meowing
Bengal cat lying down, looking at the camera

It's not exactly news that cats communicate with humans by meowing, In fact, you may have already learned to recognize what each of your cat's meows means. If your cat stops meowing, though, you might have a problem.
Some causes of this odd change are normal and harmless -- and some will even resolve quickly -- but there are also potential causes that can be much more serious. This is why it's important to get your vet involved early on. If you're wondering "why doesn't my cat meow?" you'll want to get to the bottom of the issue to determine whether your cat needs additional help.

Why doesn't my cat meow? Emotional upset could be the cause
If you think that "my cat doesn't meow," it might be because they're stressed or upset. If your cat is experiencing significant change, like having just moved into a new home, they may be staying quiet out of fear. The same is true if you've recently brought a new pet home. Your cat may be trying to avoid the new pet and any resulting fights that could occur if they meow and make noise. Alternatively, something like the loss of a companion or a recent illness could cause a kitty to feel shut down and quiet.

Read more
Is your cat hissing and growling a lot? These 5 tips will work wonders on your feline friend
Follow these tips if your cat is constantly hissing and growling
Tiger cat outdoors hissing

Understanding pet behavior can be a challenge, and if you see your cat hissing and growling, knowing what to do can help you deal with it and calm them down. Growling and hissing are natural behaviors for your cat. They're communicating to you that something is wrong. It's up to you to determine what's going on so you can take the right steps to address the issue and help your cat feel better. In turn, the behaviors should stop, and both you and your kitty should feel happier. If your cat is hissing and growling, put these tips to use to help fix the problem.

Try to identify the cause of the cat's hissing and growling
It's uncommon to see a cat hissing and growling for no reason. Usually, they are prompted by some sort of issue or change in a cat's environment. If you can identify this issue, then you can take steps to make your cat feel safe and stop the hissing and growling.

Read more