Rescuing a kitten with its head stuck in a jar could have gone so, so wrong

Before you watch this nail-biting rescue of a kitten whose head is stuck in a jar, it's helpful to know: Yes, the animal did eventually get free.

Posted to YouTube in July, the footage surfaced on Reddit this weekend and has now been viewed more than 100,000 times.

It's not clear where the video was shot, what treatment the kitten later received, or who these Good Samaritans are.

But delicately hammering the kitten free was certainly an admirable deed — albeit a risky one. If you ever find a kitten wedged in a jar, you're better off calling a vet instead of reaching for a tiny hammer.

If you've been on the internet for a while, the kitten's fate might remind you of the infamous "bonsai kittens" hoax from all the way back in 2000 (yes, children, the internet has really been around that long).

The hoax claimed that kittens were being forcibly raised in jars and bottles to keep them small their whole lives.

"Dedicated to preserving the long-lost art of body modifications in house pets," claimed the (now-defunct) bonsai kitten website.

Faked photos of kitties squished into jars prompted complaints to animal welfare authorities and even an FBI investigation, which determined no cats had been harmed in the making of the stunt.

It's unlikely this kitten is trying to resurrect the bonsai kitten hoax — it's more likely that the small cat spotted the jar, thought "I will definitely fit in there," then got stuck. Just like every other cat when it encounters a small space, basically.