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Oct 18, 2024

Horror As Cat Uses Pet Buttons To Tell Mom There's a 'Stranger' at Window - Newsweek

Teaching pets to use speech buttons is a great way to communicate, but one cat owner was horrified when her feline continually used the button for 'stranger' with no apparent reason why. Sarah Baker,

Teaching pets to use speech buttons is a great way to communicate, but one cat owner was horrified when her feline continually used the button for 'stranger' with no apparent reason why.

Sarah Baker, 33, started teaching her cat, named Justin Bieber, how to use speech buttons in 2021, and now he has learnt to use 41 buttons. They help him communicate directly with his owner, as he can tell Baker whenever he wants anything from food, or to go outside.

Baker, of Los Angeles, California, loves seeing her intelligent cat use the buttons, but when he started to press the 'stranger' button while staring outside, she became increasingly unnerved. For several months, Justin would hit 'stranger' and sometimes add the button for 'outside' after. Baker told Newsweek this made her "hair stand on end" with fright. To make matters worse, it usually occurred late in the evening, or even in the middle of the night sometimes.

"I was definitely a little alarmed when he started doing it," Baker said. "He hadn't used it much in my old apartment, so, when he started saying 'stranger' all the time after my partner and I moved to a house, it started to creep me out.

"He was definitely describing something outside, as most of the presses were paired with 'stranger outside' or 'stranger window'. The worst was when he would say it in the middle of the night because waking up to your cat saying 'stranger outside' is never what you want to hear."

Baker tried not to let Justin's behavior creep her out, as she reassured herself that if there genuinely was an intruder, her three other cats would have reacted, too.

The more Justin used the 'stranger' button, the more he started adding in other words, too, including 'stranger squirrel' and 'stranger dog'. Eventually, it dawned on Baker that the home she had moved into was near a park, and there was plenty of wildlife that Justin had never encountered previously.

Baker said: "Justin had only lived in apartments before, but our new house has a yard and is close to a park, so we get a lot of wildlife like opossums, skunks, and coyotes. I caught a skunk digging around in the yard shortly after Justin said, 'stranger squirrel', and I caught coyotes running up to the catio after he said 'stranger dog'.

"It's less creepy now that I know what Justin is talking about, but it's inherently unnerving, especially when he's staring out a pitch-dark window when saying it," she added.

Thankfully for Baker, Justin uses the 'stranger' button far less frequently now, as he seems more accustomed to the wildlife outside his home.

Baker loves sharing videos of her very talkative cat on social media (@justinbieberthecat on Instagram), as he continues to wow his followers with the array of vocabulary he has learned. After sharing the video of Justin's "stranger era," the clip went viral with more than 3.3 million views and over 231,000 likes in a number of days.

Internet users were horrified by the footage of Justin using the speech buttons to warn against strangers, and many people urged Baker to get security cameras just in case. Indeed, she did follow this advice by adding a camera to her outdoor catio, which is how she has seen so much of the wildlife.

Baker told Newsweek: "I think people were genuinely worried that I had a stalker. A lot of people thought maybe Justin was seeing ghosts or spirits. There's such a big cultural connection between cats and the paranormal; I think it always sparks a lot of interest when Justin is saying things that are a little spooky or mysterious."

Despite the initial confusion and fear, Baker said that the 'stranger' button has been incredibly useful and doesn't regret teaching Justin to use it. He gets nervous around new people, so she often uses the button when she has people coming over, and to alert him when they have left the house.

The video of Justin alerting his owner to what's outside has horrified social media users, leading to more than 2,000 comments on the Instagram post already.

One comment reads: "Looking outside with a tail moving like that? No thanks."

Another Instagram user wrote: "BRUH. Stranger outside window = horrifying."

A third commenter added: "That's really creepy. Do you have motion lights outside and an alarm system? PLEASE SAY YES!"

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

Alyce Collins is a Newsweek Life and Trends reporter based in Birmingham, U.K. with a focus on trending topics that are both engaging and relatable. Since 2019, she has covered a variety of human-interest stories, from health concerns, wellbeing, fitness and beauty trends.

Alyce joined Newsweek in 2023, having previously worked in U.K. press agencies to supply stories to a range of newspapers and magazines. She is a graduate of the University of York.

Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Alyce by emailing [email protected]

Alyce Collins is a Newsweek Life and Trends reporter based in Birmingham, U.K. with a focus on trending topics that ...Read more