Couple hear noises from used couch—then realize what seller left inside

After bringing home a used couch, a woman heard a faint bell ringing from inside, only to discover the seller’s new kitten sneaked her way inside.

Samantha Hardin told Newsweek via email that her husband recently brought home a couch he bought from a coworker, who said he did not like the way the nearly new item fit in his apartment. Her husband was warned by his coworker not to keep the door open as they moved the three-piece couch out of the apartment, because he did not want his recently added kitten, Cheeto, to escape.

A few hours later, after the drive home and putting the kids to bed, the couple brought the couch inside. She quickly noticed how “incredibly interested” her dogs were with the couch, but figured it was due to the cat smell still lingering. Then she heard a familiar sound: the bell on a cat’s collar.

“I said something to my husband, but it was SO faint, and he kept missing it any time I said anything,” Hardin said. “It was like every time I pointed it out, the cat got quiet again.”

After an hour or two of the sound coming and going, Hardin finally started investigating. She flipped part of the couch and heard a thump, turning to her husband with the look of “I told you so.”

Somehow, Cheeto managed to travel from the owner’s apartment, down three flights of stairs, a car ride and into Hardin residence without being heard or leaving the couch.

Careful Rescue—and a Late-Night Wait

The couple began trying every possible method to get Cheeto the kitten safely out of the couch, which Hardin filmed and posted to her TikTok account @mrs_samanthahardin on January 21.

“We probably spent every bit of another hour or two trying to get her out by pssting at her and trying to reach her enough to pet him so she’d be comfortable,” Hardin said. “Then we started trying dog treats and dog food because that was all I had.”

The couple tried rearranging the couch and changing the angles, with the hope that Cheeto would slip down the hole they cut out. But the feline dug her claws deeper into the couch. Hardin finally managed to reach her arm through after they cut a bigger hole in the panel on the bottom of the couch and grabbed Cheeto.

The couple set Cheeto the orange cat in a dog crate to keep him safe and secure while they waited to hear back from the coworker. But, because it was late at night, he did not respond until the morning. In the meantime, they set Cheeto up with water, a little cardboard box topped with pellet litter from her ferrets as a makeshift litter box.

Cat Reunion

“My daughter woke up and came out and saw the cat and was over the moon about her,” Hardin said. “But I just kept telling her mommy and daddy missed Cheeto, so we had to take her back home.”

The couple reunited Cheeto with her owners later that morning, with the owners beyond grateful she was safe and thankful nothing bad happened to her.

Hardin said she spent the next week asking the owners for updates on Cheeto. Knowing it was likely a traumatic experience, she wanted to make sure the kitty was adjusting back home.

Reminder to Pet Owners

The discovery had reached over 802,700 views and more than 43,200 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.

“Awww, cat had a sleepover,” wrote one viewer, while another joked: “So, where can I buy a couch like this?”

A third person said: “I just knew it was gonna be an orange one.”

Many users shared similar stories of their cats sneaking into furniture or cars, which made Hardin feel seen. She said: “Thanks to my video, I now know this is apparently really, really common! Let cat owners know to triple-check their furniture before they sell or get rid of anything!”

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