This adorable Instagram video from user @samanthabellcats features a cat named Maurice, and if you compliment him, he immediately melts. In the video, Maurice sits on a box on a desk, looking calm and serious, and it looks like a normal day at home, until the compliments start. And honestly, anyone would melt in his position, making his reaction completely fair.
Cat gets shy when called ‘handsome’ in adorable video
As the video begins, the cat’s owner speaks to him in a high-pitched voice, saying, “Look at this guy,” prompting Maurice to look up and answer with a small meow, as if he knows his owner is complimenting him. The on-screen text reads, “Look at me,” and then Maurice lowers himself and “crumples” down, like the attention physically knocks him over.
His owner keeps going, greeting him with “Hi Maurice” thrice. Each time, Maurice looks up and gives a gentle little meow back, almost like he is trying to stay composed, but then the owner asks, “Is he so handsome?” and that’s all it takes for Maurice to drop down again in the same dramatic little collapse.
The on-screen caption explains, “He crumples to the ground when he gets attention.” Meanwhile, the caption under the video adds, “Tell Maurice he’s handsome and he’ll love you forever.”
The cat’s behavior in this video may look mysterious, but many cats “flop” or sink down when they feel safe and engaged, which can also work as a learned response — Maurice hears the excited tone, expects affection, and collapses because it keeps the attention coming.
The comment section treated Maurice like royalty. One viewer wrote, “His love language is definitely words of affirmation,” while another said, “Oh my… the way I would just be constantly doting on Maurice. What a gentleman.” And more than a few people sounded ready to rearrange their schedules for him, including one viewer who wrote, “I would never get anything else done.”
The cat in this video may not say much, but his body language says, “keep praising me.”
