Viral Photo Of 'Dog' In Snow Isn't What It Seems

It's true that some things in life just aren't what they appear to be — but this photo is clearly of a Shiba Inu pup standing in the snow. Right?

Wrong.

Based on that round, fluffy vision, it would stand to reason that, from another angle, the furry subject of the picture might look like this:

That assumption is totally false.

In a recent post, Twitter user derstern612 reveals the surprising (and adorable) truth. That first photo above isn't actually of a Shiba Inu — or even a dog, for that matter.

Surprise! It's a cat!

We were all wrong.

Not surprisingly, despite a lack of additional details, derstern612's simple tweet has since gone viral.

Thousands of people have evidently fallen in love with this "dog" who turned out to be a cat.

In a follow-up tweet, derstern612 says that the cat is of the British shorthair variety — a breed that, especially when golden-coated, does have a vaguely Shiba-like look.

First looks can indeed be deceiving — but in this case, what a sweet deception it was.