A 9-month-old baby is going viral because of his reaction to Chase the cat stealing the spotlight during a father-son story time.
In the clip, baby Taj is sitting on his dad’s lap, ready to enjoy some quality story time, but, just as they begin, Chase, the beloved family cat, decides he wants to get in on the action, too.
Parents Kareem Khalil and Fifi Furrha, who posted the reel on their Instagram account @dontstopmeowing, have almost 3 million followers on the platform.
As Khalil, 35, pets Chase, Taj looks less than impressed—his little face clearly showing that he is not happy about sharing the spotlight.
“Taj does not like sharing attention with his older brother Chase, and so he reacts out of jealousy,” the couple told Newsweek.
Furrha, 32, clocks her son’s “mad” expression and finds the whole thing hilarious. Realizing this, Khalil gives Chase a kiss and tells the cat he loves him and does the same to his 9-month-old son.
About halfway through the book, Taj gets restless and, instead of turning the page as instructed by his dad, he closes the book and decides story time is over.
According to the couple’s blog, Chase, a tabby, was adopted from a litter of kittens that were found abandoned by their mother. He is an affectionate cat who loves attention, which may explain why he puts his nose up to Khalil’s face for a kiss.
Despite Taj’s salty expression, the couple said that the baby and the cat both love each other dearly. “They have such a strong bond, especially Chase, who loves to protect Taj. But they both get a little jealous of one another from time to time,” they said.
Furrha and Khalil’s clip has garnered over 3.6 million views, as well as hundreds of comments from other Instagram users who found the interaction between the two comical.
One user wrote that Taj is probably thinking, “No, you’re ruining it,” while another posted that Chase was “so spoiled” by Furrha and Khalil.
Speaking to the reaction online, the couple said that their followers adore Taj and Chase. “They absolutely love their bond [and] enjoy the content which involves our cats and kid,” they added.
