A mailman taking the time to play with a cat on his delivery route every morning is winning hearts online.
In a video shared to TikTok on October 21 by Marisa Jaffe (@marisajaffe), the USPS carrier can be seen entertaining her 2-year-old tabby Zeppelin by repeatedly sliding leaflets back and forth through the mailbox in her front door.
In response, the cat—who appears to have been patiently waiting for his arrival—jumps up and swipes at the leaflets with her paw. After a few moments, the postman lets the papers fall, smiling and waving as he walks away.
The friendship between the carrier and the cat has won them many fans on TikTok, with the cute clip receiving over 118,000 likes and 1.1 million views.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Why do cats like some people and not others?
When it comes to showing affection, cats get a raw deal. While dogs are known as "man's best friend," felines are often viewed as aloof and hard to impress.
President of The International Cat Association, Vicki Jo Harrison, said that cats do love their owners, but display affection in more subtle ways than dogs.
"From slow blinks to purrs, kneading, and following you from room to room, cats show love in many unique and wonderful ways," she told Newsweek.
So, why do cats prefer some people over others? A 2021 study published in Frontiers of Veterinary Science suggested a number of reasons why some felines are more sociable than others, and why they're drawn to certain humans.
Everything from how a cat is socialized as a kitten to a person's body language can have an impact. Both positive and negative experiences with humans can influence how well a cat bonds with a person, as can someone's behavior when meeting a cat for the first time.
For example, one experiment found that women and girls tended to get down to a cat's level and speak to them before trying to touch them. This technique was more successful in gaining a cat's trust than those employed by boys, most of whom immediately tried to approach the cats, causing them to flee.
'Is the mailman married?'
Captioned "the best part of our morning," Marisa's video begins with her cat waiting patiently by the front door for its mailman friend to arrive. The tabby stares at the USPS carrier as he walks up to the door, which has a large window in the top section.
He slips leaflets back and forth through the mailbox, as the cat jumps up to bat them with his paw. Smiling, the man then pushes the leaflets through the slot and they fall to the floor. The carrier then grins and waves at Marisa, while the tabby looks up at him longingly as he walks away.
Marisa told Newsweek that the mailman—real name Ryan Gray—and Zeppelin have been BFFs for about a year now.
"Zeppelin has come accustomed to waiting by the window and when he sees my mailman coming down the street he runs to the door to 'play' with the mail!" she said.
"I have told friends and family about it but I'm so glad I could capture the video so folks can witness it."
Describing Ryan as "lovely," Marisa said she and Zeppelin "feel very lucky to get a visit from our handsome mailman daily."
TikTokers couldn't get enough of Ryan, with several saying they had a "crush" on him.
"Is the mailman married?" asked Melissa. "Asking for me."
Rachelorraine58 wrote: "Now I want to marry your mailman and steal your cat."
"This man has such a contagious smile of genuine joy!" said Valerie.
Stephen rufullmtit commented: "I want one of those…The cat seems cool too."
After Marisa admitted to also having a crush on the USPS carrier in the comments, users were desperate for their story to be turned into a rom-com.
"Literally an intro to the best hallmark movie freaking EVER!!!" said LillllMissyTX2.
While Laura Kline wanted to know: "What do the cat (and mail man) do if you get no mail?"
Marisa replied: "We all cry."
The unlikely friendship between the cat and the mail carrier is not the only one to go viral. Earlier in October, a surprised owner came home to discover his cat's new ferret "friend," while the friendship between a dog and cat recently earned them our Pet of the Week title.
Correction 10/25/22, 1:45 p.m ET: This article was updated to correctly state the mail carrier works for USPS.
Update 10/26/22, 5:32 p.m ET: This article was updated to include further information and comment from Marisa Jaffe.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more
