The bond between an otter named Sakura and a cat named Mochi truly shined as they snuggled up together and drifted off to sleep. The heartwarming moment was captured in a lovely video filmed in Japan. Mako, their owner, got Sakura three years ago, and this was the first time the otter and cat cuddled up to each other. Mako regularly shares videos of Sakura on social media, with a massive following of over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube.
The video captures a sweet moment in Japan as Sakura the otter snuggles up to Mochi the cat during their nap.
The small-clawed otter, Sakura, cuddles up to Mochi, the cat, while lying on Mako’s blanket in their home. In the footage, Sakura snuggles around Mochi, lets out a squeak, and then yawns. With her head resting on Mochi’s back, Sakura begins to drift off to sleep as the cat turns around and closes her eyes. Mako gently pets the pair as Mochi grooms herself and Sakura playfully paws at the cat’s belly. The scene shifts to show Sakura peacefully falling asleep while snuggled up to Mochi.
Sakura let out a yawn before drifting off to sleep on top of the cat, just as Mako reached out to pet them both. Mako later posted a video of the heartwarming moment on social media with the caption: “Finally they hugged each other and started to sleep.” Followers of the post couldn’t help but gush over the adorable scene. One user expressed, “That’s just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” Another commented, “This is so precious. The way the otter is clinging to the kitty while they sleep is just too much for my heart to handle.”
At the beginning of the video, Sakura playfully climbs up Mako’s leg. Mako has been the proud owner of this three-year-old small-clawed otter since 2018. However, not everyone is on board with the trend of keeping otters as pets. The nonprofit organization Traffic has issued warnings about the illegal poaching of small-clawed otters from their natural habitats to meet the demand in Japan.
Kanitha Krishnasamy, who serves as the director of the Southeast Asia branch, expressed concerns to National Geographic, stating that the irresistible cuteness of otters is driving their popularity as pets. These adorable creatures are in high demand, leading to the exploitation of their natural habitats in the mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of south and southeast Asia.
