A cat in Russia is being hailed a heroine after being credited with saving the life of an abandoned baby.
Masha is a long-haired tabby, who is as intelligent as she is beautiful. Someone recently abandoned a baby in the cold streets of Russia. The infant, determined to be under three months old, was left in a cardboard box at the foot of the stairs in an apartment building where Mashla likes to sleep. Whoever dropped off the infant also left a little hat, some baby food and a few diapers.
Masha’s mothering instincts took over when the cat saw the baby sleeping in her box, and climbed in, curling up close to keep the little one warm. Here’s a short video of Masha
Not only did Masha share her kitty body heat with the wee one, she also meowed to get the attention of someone who could help. Since Masha is a community cat, looked after by the local residents, the person who answered her cry for help was stunned to find the cat in the box with a baby. Obninsk city resident Irina Lavrovan told Central European News how she found the two curled up together in the stairwell.
“She is very placid and friendly, so when I heard her meowing, I thought that perhaps she had injured herself. Normally she would have come and said hello to me. You can imagine my shock when I saw her lying in a box next to a baby.”
According to a hospital spokesman the baby had only been out in the cold for a few hours and wasn’t physically harmed from being abandoned. Now Masha is being called a hero, and the neighborhood residents in charge of her care are rewarding the cat with her favorite food.
An investigation is being conducted to find the parents of the baby.
We hear so many stories of dog heroes, it’s nice to see a cat getting recognition for saving a life.
My thinking is Misha was taken care of by the humans in the neighborhood, and she was returning the kindness shown to her. I’m just glad both the baby and Misha are doing all right, and I hope Misha found a forever home for what she did.
Cats can be very loyal to people. I’ve heard of cats waking owners up saving them from a house fire. I’ve heard of cats attacking people who broke into the owner’s house protecting the owner from harm. I’ve heard of cats attacking robbers in stores.
I had a snowshoe years ago, and he was the nicest cat in the world (yes everyone will say that about their cat). He mauled an ex-boyfriend of mine when my ex hugged me. Indy (my cat) thought I was being attacked, and he attacked my ex. My ex didn’t blame the cat for what happened when I explained what Indy was thinking, and pointed out that he (my ex) didn’t introduce himself to Indy. After that incident my ex always made sure to say hi and pet Indy before he even gave me a hug or kiss.
When I brought a newborn kitten home after his momma had been run over at work, my cat Hitch (Long tailed Manx) climbed into the box to keep Lucky warm until I could get him to a bottle baby rescue group. Cats are wonderful creatures, and will try to help if they can. My roommate fainted one, and my oldest cat Blitz (Forrest Cat, British Shorthair mix) stayed with her until she came around. She told me he was nuzzling her, pawing at her, and meowing at her. Blitz rarely leaves my roommate’s side, and follows her like a puppy.
Misha probably realized the infant was in trouble and tried to help the only way she could. I don’t care what people say about cats not being a good animal for whatever reason they believe. Hero cats are out there, but dogs tend to get more coverage.
My first thoughts about Masha were more skeptical; that she herself wanted to keep warm and used the infant but I have come around to believe she was genuinely doing her best to help.