Two cats sit side by side, same pose, same pleading stare, waiting for the same treat. Their owner posted the photo to Reddit’s r/cats with a baffled caption: “why my cats syncing up to beg for churus is this a new method did they discuss this.” It hit Reddit’s front page this week.
The plan worked. In a follow-up comment, the owner reported that the pair “won me over and finished off their routine strong with some post-churu synchronized licky lips,” and shared a second picture to prove it.
The internet checks the choreography
Commenters zoomed in on the details. One wrote that “even the left paw forward and the tails straight up are synchronized,” joking that the cats had rehearsed all night. Another said the 3am zoomies were clearly choreography practice. A four-cat household described a nightly ritual in which one sofa seat is “the churu seat” and the cats line up on the ottoman to take turns, with the newest kitten still struggling to hold his place in line.
Some readers wondered whether the thread was an ad, since the brand name came up so often. Others replied that “churu” now works as a catch-all word for lickable paste treats, the way people say Kleenex for tissues.
Did the cats plan it?
Almost certainly not, but they did not need to. Animal behavior has a name for this kind of mirroring: social facilitation. When one animal performs a behavior, others nearby become more likely to do the same, or to do it with more intensity. Feeding is one of the textbook settings. Griffon vultures, for example, find most of their meals not by spotting a carcass themselves but by following other vultures already heading down, a chain reaction that can draw birds from miles around. Lovebirds are known for copying their cage-mates.
Two cats begging in sync fits the same pattern. The first cat spots the treat cue, settles into its best begging pose, and the second, primed by the same promise of food, slides into the matching posture beside it. Add a shared routine, the same human and the same kitchen cabinet, and the pair ends up looking choreographed.
A quick guide to reading the pose
- Tails straight up: a raised tail is a friendly signal cats use when approaching, so both cats are advertising goodwill.
- Eyes on the human: cats learn that people solve food problems; a São Paulo study found cats meowed four times as often with a person nearby when a treat was out of reach.
- Matching paws: the shared position is the social facilitation part, one cat’s posture nudging the other’s.
The thread also showed how quickly cats learn the word itself. One owner said their cats recognized “churu” within about a week, so the couple renamed the treats “guns,” which now confuses guests whenever the cats perk up. The owner of the synchronized pair, asked whether the household had two “types” of cat, replied: “yes we have fun here (help me).”
Further reading
Image: Irshath 25, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our Editorial Desk. How we work.
