Are you ready for cuteness overload? A video of a mountain lion playfully pawing at a wooden swing was recently shared on YouTube and it's the perfect mid-week pick-me-up. Colorado-resident Thaddeus Wells set up a swing and trail camera near Black Hawk in the hopes of recording bear cubs at play. Wells was pleasantly surprised when he watched the trail camera footage and saw this playful big cat enjoying a game with the swing:

The video – almost a full minute of adorable activity – starts with the puma seemingly waking up from a snooze. She yawns, glances up at the swing, and then rolls onto her back. Her front paw lazily reaches for the wooden contraption above her and when the platform gently starts to swing, she goes into full kitten mode. After some rolling and pawing, the playful cat sits up straight and purposefully rocks the swing by swatting it from either side (with a few silly head tilts in the mix for good measure).

Cat owners will recognize this behavior in their own feline companions at home. Playfulness in domestic cats stems from their roots in the wild, where it may help develop the hunting skills needed to survive. "A cat's play instincts, such as batting, pouncing and raking with claws, are derived from hunting behavior," according to Live Science. Fluffy may have a lot more in common with a mountain lion than you think.

The Lion In Your Living Room, a short documentary film distributed on our video-on-demand platform, explores the close link between domestic and wild cats and our fascination with sharing our homes and Instagram feeds with feline friends. Click the button on the top right of the player window to stream the film:

Top header image: Angell Williams, Flickr