Waking up in the early hours to a loud noise, most people would fear the worst—an intruder in the house. But as one homeowner recently shared, that’s not always the case.

A video posted to TikTok by user @hs.living has racked up an impressive 8.8 million views, recounting the moment they were startled awake by a “big bang” at 5 a.m. Thankfully, it wasn’t a break-in. Instead, it seems their ragdoll cat, Mimi, had taken an unexpected interest in their home renovation project.

The footage shows their newly fitted cream carpets splattered with black paint. The clip ends with a photo of Mimi, who was found “frozen at the top of the stairs, looking down at what she had done. Luckily, she had no paint on her!” states the text in the video.

Uploaded on April 17, the video has captured the attention of TikTok users, many of whom found humor in the mishap.

“God forbid a cat be into abstract art,” joked one commenter, earning over 11,000 likes.

“I’d walk out and go find a new house,” said another.

A third wrote, “I would tell people it’s modern art and leave it at that.”

For many cat owners, this scenario might not be all that surprising. Felines are known for their nocturnal bursts of energy—it’s just in their DNA. According to Cats Protection, a U.K.-based charity, this behavior reflects that of their wild relatives, such as the African wildcat. Domestic cats descend from these crepuscular creatures, meaning they’re naturally active during dawn and dusk—ideal times for hunting small prey like rodents. So, it makes sense that cats often seem to spring to life just as the rest of us are winding down or waking up.

In a follow-up video, the homeowner explained exactly what happened. The slideshow reveals they were first-time buyers and had recently adopted their kitten, Mimi.

Six weeks later, while painting a wall black in the attic, they left the paint in an accessible spot near the top of the stairs. “When I was done with it, it was fully closed but I did leave it in an open accessible area near the top of the stairs,” they explained.

The next slide reveals the moment of horror. Mimi, still a kitten at the time, often had late-night “zoomies,” frequently crashing into doors and walls. Loud noises in the night weren’t uncommon—but this time was different.

“But this time, I woke up to a really loud bang at 5 a.m., so I got out of bed half-asleep to check if Mimi was okay,” they wrote.

The sight of the black-stained carpet was too much to handle. The owner recalls “hysterically crying” and frantically calling her husband, who was working a night shift.

He reassured her that the carpet could be replaced if the stains didn’t come out—and reminded her that Mimi’s safety was the most important thing.

Newsweek reached out to @hs.living for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.

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