Texas Tiktoker forced to sleep in car with his pet birds as storm ravages state

The ongoing energy crisis in Texas has left many pet owners seeking desperate measures to ensure the safety of their animals.

It has made for harrowing viewing on platforms such as Tiktok, where young people are detailing their struggles and fears.

One viral video from Josué Valdez - otherwise known as @josh_pass - has accumulated hundreds of thousands of views by showing just how far pet owners are willing to go when faced with such unexpected circumstances.

A popular figure in the #birdsoftiktok community, Josué often posts about the wholesome adventures of his birds. In the video, Josué explains how cold is severely impacting the wellbeing of his animals to the point where the warmest place to sleep with them is his car.

“I live in Texas and have not had power since Sunday night”, the in-video caption reads.

“I’ve been trying my best to keep them warm and the car is the best place...they sleep with me under the blankets”.

He describes how one of the cockatiels has health issues that remain untreated due to the business shutdown.

“Everything is closed”, he warns. “My cockatiel has health issues and is not doing too well. He has mucus and watery eyes”.

“Hope this cold weather moves out soon and the power comes back on”, the final caption reads, as he is pictured holding one of the birds in the palm of his hand.

As it stands the video has been watched by over 300,000 people, with many commenters fearful of their wellbeing and warning of the dangers of sleeping in the car overnight. It has been reported that a woman and her child lost their lives trying to keep warm in this way.

The below-freezing temperatures are making the lives of pet owners across the state increasingly difficult, with Twitter also documenting some of the heartbreaking actions taken by people with no resources to keep their animals safe.

Fortunately, things are looking up for some.

Josué was even able to provide an update video that shows his house slowly warming up again after almost 5 days without power.

“I did get my power back, and my birds seem to be doing better! The current temperature of the house is on 54 (12 degrees celsius) but its been slowly coming up. I have some space heaters around that are helping us”.