Cat goes viral over surprise appearance on local TV


woman carrying cat
Cat goes viral online with surprise appearance on TV
Image adapted from: Buletin TV3

Cats have become quite the Internet stars during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia, as stories of “praying” cats and manja cats crying over onions have been stealing our hearts.

Now, another of these adorable creatures has been making headlines for videobombing a Buletin Utama nightly newscast on TV3 called “Pengguna Lebuh Raya Utamakan SOP” – which can be translated into “Highway Users Prioritise SOP”. Viewers who have tuned in to learn about Malaysians adhering to SOPs while driving on highways were entertained by an unexplained sudden appearance of an orange cat being whisked away in a hurry by a Malaysian woman during the broadcast.


Orange cat spotted in video of highway SOPs


The hilarious sighting was spotted by netizen @Ijulnaim, who shared a clipped 12-second video from Buletin Utama’s broadcast with the cat’s surprising appearance on Twitter on 13th June 2020. It has since gone viral with over 40,000 retweets and 30,000 likes at the time of writing.

The video begins like any other daily news broadcast from the channel, with 2 news anchors giving viewers an introduction to the story of the day. This news segment happened to be on highway users and how Malaysians are complying with SOPs on the road and at R&Rs now that interstate travel is permitted under the Recovery MCO.

Highway traffic report
Image adapted from: @Ijulnaim

But a young lady in white seen rushing across the screen carrying a helpless-looking cat shows up at the 8-second mark of the video – stealing the limelight from the broadcast.

As an explanation for the sudden appearance of the pair in the news segment was not given, @Ijulnaim tagged Buletin TV3’s official Twitter page asking for one. His tweet can be translated as, “All of a sudden, a lady in white shirt runs by carrying a cat. Why? [tears of joy emoji] @BuletinTV3”.

twitter screenshot

Sudden cat appearance
Image adapted from: @Ijulnaim

Buletin TV3 has yet to respond to his tweet, but according to a report by the New Straits Times, the woman is actually the owner of the cat seen in the video. She was driving on the North South Expressway with her 2 cats when one of them decided to take a dump in their pet carrier.

To clean the mess up, she stopped by the nearest R&R, not knowing that TV3 had cameras set up there for their news story. This is where she made the surprise guest appearance with her cat.

Before she stepped up to explain the incident, some netizens joked that a catnapping was caught on TV because of her hurried pace. But in the same New Straits Times’ article, she shared that she didn’t want to dirty her white shirt and was trying not to catch the attention of the police and military personnel in the area.


Netizens don’t hold back on the jokes over viral cat on TV


Because the “mystery” was unsolved before she clarified her actions in the New Straits Times’ article, Malaysians made up their own fun theories and jokes about the video clip posted by @Ijulnaim.

Netizen @isstzander tweeted a meme of a ginger cat with a serious expression, sitting in front of a microphone, saying, “Please listen to his explanation first.”

Twitter comment 1
Image adapted from: @isstzander

Another netizen @aftrxx replied to the original tweet, saying that  “That cat is actually a set extra [paid actor].”

 Twitter comment 3
Image adapted from: @aftrxx 

Even after we all learned the real story behind the cat’s appearance, the jokes didn’t stop. Netizen @meysoarah tweeted out a hilarious response, saying that “This plot twist beats a K-drama“, which left many in stitches.

Twitter comment 1
Image adapted from: @meysoarah


Cat goes viral in Malaysia after surprise cameo on local TV


There have been countless cat-related stories during the MCO that has brought a smile to our faces during the COVID-19 pandemic. And this one of a cat making a surprise cameo on Buletin Utama on TV3 is yet another hilarious addition to the list.

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