See the moment a mischievous cat decided to interrupt prayers at a mosque by jumping onto an imam, climbing up his shoulders, and running its tail across his face

• An orange cat jumped onto an imam reciting Ramadan prayers at a mosque in Algeria.
• It climbed up his shoulders, ran its tail across his cheek, and licked his face.

A tiny calico cat made a surprise appearance during a Muslim religious leader's prayers on Monday.

Imam Walid Mehsas was leading the Taraweeh, a nightly prayer during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at a crowded mosque in Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria, per the BBC.

During the prayer, a feline friend chose to make its presence known.

The small calico cat, with orange, black, and white fur, first tried to get the imam's attention by pawing at his leg, but the imam paid it no heed, per a video posted to the imam's Facebook page on Tuesday.

Tired of not getting the imam's attention, the cat jumped straight onto the imam's belly and climbed up his shoulders. The imam did not flinch but lightly petted the cat while continuing with his prayers.

The cat then brushed the imam's cheek with its tail and licked his face, before jumping off him.

This is not the first time a cat has decided to take part in religious proceedings.

In 2020, a tabby cat named Tiger interrupted the then-Dean of Canterbury Robert Willis' morning sermon to sip some milk from a jug.

On a separate occasion in 2021, the same cat ate Willis' breakfast pancake on-camera.

The priest did not seem to mind, lightly petting the cat with a finger while reading verses from the Bible.