Drunk Man Pats Tiger Mistaken for a Cat Near Pench, Video Goes Viral
A bizarre incident from Pench, India, has gone viral after CCTV footage showed a man casually patting a tiger he thought was a large stray cat.
According to reports, the incident took place on October 4, 2025. Raju Patel, a 52-year-old labourer, was returning home after a late-night card game. Slightly tipsy from homemade liquor, he encountered what he believed was an oversized cat sitting on the roadside. Unaware that it was actually a sub-adult Bengal tiger, Raju approached the animal, muttering, “Move aside, kitty,” before gently patting its head.
For nearly ten minutes, both man and tiger stood together. Raju even offered the tiger a sip from his bottle, which the animal ignored. The tiger, believed to have wandered out of Pench Tiger Reserve due to recent monsoon floods, appeared calm and exhausted.
TRUE INCIDENT (as received)
— Mukul Dekhane (@dekhane_mukul) October 29, 2025
On October 4, 2025, in Pench, India, a surreal moment was captured on CCTV. Raju Patel, a 52-year-old labourer, patted a tiger he mistook for a "big cat" after a late-night card game, tipsy from homemade liquor. Raju stumbled onto a street where a… pic.twitter.com/D2tx2ZLUiJ
Forest officials soon arrived with spotlights and mild tranquilizers. The tiger was safely guided back to the reserve by 3 AM, and fortunately, no one was harmed.
The incident, captured on CCTV, was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by user Mukul Dekhane (@dekhane_mukul), who has over 18,000 followers. The clip has already crossed 48,000 views and continues to circulate widely online. However, authorities have not yet verified the authenticity of the video.
Raju Patel has since become somewhat of a local celebrity. When asked about the event, he reportedly shrugged and said, “It was just a pussy cat.”
