Golden Retriever Grieving Big Brother Gets Double Surprise

A grieving golden retriever named Murray has captured the hearts of internet viewers after his emotional reaction to gaining two new feline siblings went viral.

Murray, 10, had been deeply affected by the loss of his beloved cat brother, George, who tragically passed away following a dental procedure. His owners believe George suffered a punctured trachea during anesthesia intubation.

"It was hard coming home to Murray without him, and you can't explain to them what happened—we cried so much," the dog's owner, who is based in Ohio, told Newsweek.

"Murray started showing signs of grieving, mainly being super-anxious and barking at random things and times walking around the house—he had never been without George, and we began to wonder if he was lonely."

In a now-viral TikTok video shared by @theveryguudbois, which has received over 86,100 likes and more than 604,000 views, viewers are taken on the journey of Murray meeting his new kitten siblings. The owner adopted the young cats from Delaware County Humane Society.

The clip shows Murray helping to pick out toys at the pet store before meeting the adorable felines at home. The compilation features the three of them playing, cuddling, and napping together.

The new kittens, Ash and Oreo, were adopted on July 10. At first, the family kept the young felines in a separate room to let them settle in. They swapped blankets between the animals to help them grow familiar with each other's scent. After that, Murray was allowed in for short, supervised visits.

"Murray was curious and laid down to watch them. Ash, the tiny one, had no fear—he walked right up to sniff Murray," the owner said.

"Oreo, the other kitten, was more skeptical and hissed a bit if he came too close. By the next day, though, they wanted to come out of the room to explore and follow him around," the owner added.

Murray not only has adjusted to his new companions but also seems to be thriving.

"I haven't seen him acting playfully in a long time, but he actually grabbed a ball and was trying to show them how he tosses it around and grabs it," the owner said.

"They have gotten settled in and are hanging out napping near each other and lounging—Murray hasn't barked or shown the anxiety he was having when he was alone, so we are just super happy to see him.

"We are still grieving the loss of George—I called him my soul cat—but giving a home to Ash and Oreo is helping to feel a sense of love and doing something positive to care for more cats that were homeless," the owner added.

TikTok users were quick to share their own stories of grieving pets and praise Murray's heartwarming recovery.

"I had a pitty/American Bully mix, that fell in love with a kitten we adopted. The kitten passed unexpectedly and my pitty stopped eating, playing and basically living. We managed to quickly find him a new kitten. And he did a complete turn around," one user wrote.

Another commenter, Victoria Ewan, shared: "My cat Ellis died in 2021 and his adoptive sons were depressed, so we got 3 kittens—was supposed to get 2 but the other one wasn't adopted so we got her too. Sadly my two boys are now angel cats (I'm still broken) but my 3 mini panthers are my world."

"You guys have a very special pup there and I really liked it at the end when he was petting the little kitten. I had a bad day today and this all put a big smile on my face. Give him a hug and kiss for me," said Patrick.

"My Great Pyrenees went into a depression when my cat was stolen so I had to get him another," Kayne added.

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