A sweet Instagram video from @whiskeytoller shows a cat named River taking his job as a brother very seriously, helping his 14-year-old senior dog, Oakley, work up the nerve to come down the stairs.
The video opens at the stair top landing, where Oakley stands right at the edge. He seems like he is hesitating to come down, while River circles near Oakley’s front legs and keeps meowing — almost like he has a plan and needs Oakley to follow it.
Senior dog gets support from cat’s soft meows while coming down the stairs
The video’s on-screen text explains, “I couldn’t figure out why my cat kept meowing while my 14yr old dog waited at the top of the stairs,” as the scene shows the cat hovering around the senior dog.
Soon enough, the owner noticed that “he was encouraging him” to come down the stairs. Meanwhile, he was also “making sure he wasn’t trying something hard all alone,” as River starts walking down, prompting Oakley to follow him slowly.
The on-screen text thus concludes, “They were waiting for each other,” as the senior dog carefully follows the cat down the stairs, and the caption under the video observes the sweet gesture with, “No best friend left behind.”
Moreover, the owner added helpful context for anyone worried about an older dog and stairs. They reassured, “The non-slip mats and rug are in place where Oakley steps and lands the most to prevent him from falling,” adding, “He has just woken up an was a little stiff.” Fortunately, “he is doing great for his age and we make sure to keep him as comfortable as possible.”
Cats and dogs who live together often pick up each other’s routines and understand signals. Some animals also respond to slower movement or hesitation by staying close and vocalizing more, which is basic bonding behavior that looks a lot like encouragement.
Therefore, the owner was not far off in interpreting the cat’s meows as encouragement for the senior dog to climb down the stairs — and no one can argue that River was the sweetest brother to Oakley here.
The post Senior Dog Gets a Helping Paw From Cat While Coming Down the Stairs appeared first on DogTime.
