A stray cat caught the attention of thousands of social media users after a woman shared a video of its swollen nose after it was apparently bitten by a snake.

The poor feline was filmed by an unnamed woman who encountered it on the street of Guangzhou, in China’s southern Guangdong Province.

She immediately noticed the cat had a nose that was swollen like the character Squidward from the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants.

In the video, the tabby is seen standing calmly in front of the camera with a nose that is nearly half the size of its head, with some noting that it looked like it was wearing a prosthetic.

Dr Yang, a veterinarian, said that the swollen nose was probably a result of it being bitten by a snake rather than an insect because of the severity of the swelling.

He said that the cat was a stray and therefore living outside which is where it had probably encountered whatever it was that had caused the swelling.

The video drew widespread attention on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, where it boasts more than 409,000 likes and over 723,000 shares.

The woman shared it with the caption: “The poor little thing is both heartwarming and adorable. Its cries are so sweet and cute.”

Many users said they first thought it was a special effect, and others sympathised with the animal’s condition.

User ‘Lao Zhang 123756176’ commented: “I hope this poor cat recovers soon.”

And ‘A lump of grandma’ wrote: “Poor little thing, hope it is quickly back to normal.”