An in-house security camera video clip shows a toddler crawling towards the top of some hard stairs. In the video, we don’t see the stairs going down but we do see a still photo on the Metro website (see below in the montage) which appears to confirm that the toddler was at the top step of a steep flight of stairs. We also see a Siamese cat who clearly enjoys the company of this toddler and who is seen on video racing towards his young human friend as he crawls towards danger and certain injury.
The cat appears to stop the toddler proceeding and falling down the stairs. However, we cannot be sure that this is what happened. You might interpret the cat’s behaviour as the cat wishing to play with his toddler companion. This, in fact, is perhaps a more plausible interpretation than deliberately and with foresight stopping the toddler proceeding forwards.
However, when you look at the video several times as I have it is also equally plausible, I have decided on the 8th time of viewing, that the cat is aware of the danger that the child has got himself into and decides to act. You can see the cat placing himself in between the child and the top of the stairs.
If you argue that the cat wanted to play and by good fortune saved the child it would be a rather cold assessment because it would take away from many people the enjoyment of believing that this cat saved the toddler from injury.
People like to think that domestic cats save people from injury. Is it because we like to anthropomorphize domestic cats? Or am I being totally unreasonable?
The toddler’s name is Samuel Leon and he is twelve months of age. His mother is Diana Lorena Alvarez, 27. They live in Bogota, Colombia, South America. She is not sure how her child’s got out of his crib.
The cat’s name is Gatubela. His coat is interesting as it contains clear tortie markings including a blaze down the nose and yet at the same time the coat is pointed (a Siamese cat coat).
SOME POSTS ON TORTIE CATS:
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