A playful baby squirrel has the internet rushing to buy cat toys after a backyard video captured the tiny animal discovering just how much fun one could be.
TikTok user Knickerbocker, who posts under @knickerboker181, recently spotted a young squirrel investigating one of her cat’s toys outside.
The curious little visitor did not need much encouragement. Once it realized the toy moved and bounced, the squirrel immediately turned the backyard into its own personal playground.
Video showed the tiny animal pouncing on the toy, tugging at it and repeatedly testing how it moved.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
The adorable moment quickly won over viewers, many of whom said they had never considered leaving toys outside for squirrels before.
“Everybody stop what you’re doing and put a cat toy in your yard for the young squirrels,” Knickerbocker joked in the caption.
She later shared another clip of a squirrel playing and admitted the videos had changed the way she looked at her backyard visitors.
“Another day, another squirrel having fun playing with toys!” she wrote. “I now feel I have neglected them all these years…”
One commenter revealed that squirrels sometimes take matters into their own paws.
“A squirrel stole my dog’s toy and put it up in this tree,” the viewer wrote alongside a photo.
Another person, who identified themselves as a veterinary technician, offered a hilarious warning.
“This is extremely dangerous because the squirrel could actually have too much fun that they grow up to be happy and fun adult squirrels,” the commenter joked.
Even the family dog appeared confused by the unexpected play session and seemed unsure why a squirrel had taken such an interest in a pet toy.
For viewers, however, the moment was simple proof that even backyard wildlife knows how to have a little fun.