Prepare for a cuteness overload!
After loving 19 cats, 11 dogs, and a canary, Tracey married someone allergic to all those creatures. Thankfully, she receives oodles of animal goodness sharing stories on Daily Paws! When not traveling, teaching yoga, or doing voiceover projects, she’s an editorial strategist and developer for print, digital, and multimedia platforms.
We paw-sitively adore all our unlikely animal friends, but these Japanese pals make our hearts skip a beat! The adorable duo—an otter and gorgeous orange cat—are taking the internet by storm with their precious cuddle sessions.
Mochi, our tabby feline friend, and Sakura, a frisky three-year-old pet otter, have lived with their hooman Mako for the last two years. In that time, Mochi had made it pretty clear about his desire for personal space, no matter how persuasive Sakura tried to be.
And then this happened!
Mako shared that it was the first time the two had ever snuggled together. It’s apparent that even though Sakura, a small-clawed otter native to Southeast Asia, takes a while to settle down, Mochi seems to enjoy being the little spoon and quickly falls asleep. It’s a soft, peaceful few moments that more than 8 million viewers have enjoyed.
The two have turned into an internet sensation, with frequent posts to Instagram under Kawauso Sakura (kawauso is Japanese for otter). Each video opens with an adorable view of this cuddly mammal waking up and climbing Mako’s body squeaking for face-to-face nuzzles.
The pair frequently play like typical furry siblings would, though it’s certainly unusual for a cat and otter to be seen wrestling with each other like these two!
In this recent video, Mako leads playtime all through the house.
It looks as though Sakura and Mochi will enjoy each other’s company for a long time, although who gets first dibs on fish treats is anyone’s guess! Sakura usually gets his raw smelt dinner before climbing into a big bathtub for a nice long swim.
It’s essential to note that otters, while obviously captivating creatures, are wild animals and require their natural environment and family groups to thrive. No matter how much they squeak, tug, or beg for clams—it’s best to leave them in their habitat! Fortunately, you can watch their frolicking antics whenever you want on free live otter cams like those offered by the Seattle Aquarium, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Vancouver Aquarium, a marine mammal rescue facility.
