This is a video that has gone viral for obvious reasons. It is very cute. I like to see cats sleeping with children as there is a lot of good in it despite the old wives’ tales about cats sucking the breath from children (a dangerous myth still believed by some). A child’s immune system is boosted because they get used to the allergens. It is good for them in terms of physical and mental wellbeing. Plus there is this wonderful education about animals acquired first hand. I’d expect this girl to grow up to be an animal advocate. I hope so. The more the better because the world needs them. And I bet she sleeps better in the company of the family’s cats than when alone without them and vice versa by the way.
Please note that sometimes embedded videos like the one above stop working for reasons beyond my control and if that has happened I apologise.
The video is on TikTok somewhere but I can’t find it, perhaps it has been removed as it has been bought up by the news media. It’s nice to see that the video maker Ms Chen sees the advantages of her daughter sleeping with their cats. She finds it charming as the rest of the world does. She has no concerns about babies being harmed by domestic cats which is the right attitude to take.
They have six pets apparently, five stray cats and a beagle. The daughter’s name is Xiao Xi. The cats fell in love with her the moment they saw her! They live in Shijiazhuang in China’s Hebei Province. Ms Chen has one million followers. The cats first started to sleep with her daughter on the couch.
Ms Chen likes photography which helps her to document the relationship between the cats and her children. She started this in September 2019 when the family first adopted a ginger stray cat named Wang Cai. Within 12 months they had adopted four more rescue cats and the stray dog.
Ms Chen believes that the ginger cat that they first rescued regards her daughter as a mother or a sibling. It is certainly possible and likely that he relates to the child as a sibling.
As one commenter said the video is healing and heartwarming. It’s a time when people need this sort of video and photography. A difficult time for us all during the coronavirus pandemic and interminable lockdowns.
That is so heartwarming!
It is so sad that cats are blamed for things over which they have no control. The babies that died probably had SIDS or breathing problems, and the cats were just trying to help. Stupid superstitions!
Yes, people still believe these supersitions. The world is still a very supersititious place. The human is a very frightened creature looking for meaning and control. Sad.