Buzz
While cats generally prefer to stay dry, don’t expect them to be the ones to pull Timmy from the well anytime soon. Still, when it comes to rescuing people from danger, these cats show loyalty and courage akin to dogs—though without the wagging tails or overly eager expressions. In fact, they may look somewhat annoyed by the task, likely due to their frustration with our often clueless ways!
10. The Cat Who Delivered Dinner
In the late 1400s, Sir Henry Wyatt found himself imprisoned—likely in Scotland—under harsh conditions and a deplorable diet. Fortunately, as per a story told by Wyatt’s great-great-grandson, Thomas Scott, the lonely man began receiving visits from a compassionate cat.
The cat, likely acting out of maternal instinct, decided that Wyatt could use a bit of nourishment. She began bringing him dead pigeons. Wyatt convinced a sympathetic jailer to cook the birds for him. While they weren’t actually squab, which are young pigeons, they were still far better than the typical prison rations he had been given.
The tale refers to the cat as an “accator” (caterer), since she not only offered her companionship and warmth but also brought ingredients for occasional hot meals. After his release, Wyatt surely never forgot the cat who had shown him such care, loyalty, and support.
9. The Cat Who Found A Stray
While roaming the streets of Obninsk, Russia, one chilly evening in January 2015, a motherly alley cat named Masha came across a box outside an apartment building. Upon discovering a baby boy inside, she may have thought a careless human had abandoned a kitten. Regardless, the tabby hopped into the box with the infant and began meowing urgently.
A woman taking out her trash heard Masha’s frantic cries and went to investigate, thus relieving the cat of her impromptu babysitting role. Thanks to her warm, furry presence, the abandoned baby—dressed in a jumpsuit—was unharmed by the freezing temperatures.
Masha, a cat beloved by the building's residents, gained even more admiration after the incident. She likely would have dismissed the praise, claiming she wasn’t a hero, just doing what felt instinctively right!
8. The Cat Who Sounded the Alarm
Masha wasn’t the only protective cat who had to make herself heard in order to save the day. In Wandin North, Australia, Craig Geeves awoke one August morning in 2014 to find his tabby cat, Sully, perched on his chest and screaming at him from close range. Maybe the cat had initially tried a softer meow or even engaged in the classic feline telepathic stare.
When gentler approaches failed, she must have turned up the volume, as if to say, “What don’t you understand about the house being on fire?” By the time Geeves managed to snap out of it enough to notice the smell of smoke, Sully was perched on his head, likely attempting to hammer the message home with her paws. He scooped her up and dashed to safety, though his home was destroyed in the fire.
7. The Cat Who Detected a Disturbing Odor
A cat’s remarkable sense of smell has proven to be a lifesaver in many situations. A long-haired black kitten quickly won the hearts of Greg and Trudy Guy in Great Falls, Montana. However, Schnautzie used her nose to show she was capable of more than just being cute one October night in 2007.
At around 2:00 AM, Schnautzie hopped onto the Guys’ bed and started swatting at Trudy’s nose. Thinking the kitten was simply playing, Trudy tried to ignore her. However, she soon realized Schnautzie was also making strange snuffling noises, which seemed unusual.
Perhaps the kitten was trying to communicate, “Use your nose and see if you detect what I’m detecting.” Once fully awake, the Guys heard a hissing sound that wasn’t from their pet. The noise was coming from a broken gas pipe, which could have led to a disastrous explosion if the kitten hadn’t raised the alarm with her keen sense of smell.
6. The Cat Who Sensed Illness
Cats seem capable of detecting even the faintest of smells, from gas leaks to more subtle scents. When a previously distant cat starts to become unusually affectionate, it’s worth taking notice. Sue MacKenzie from Scunthorpe, England, had a 24-year-old black-and-white tomcat named Tom who was never known for his friendly behavior. But in the summer of 2014, he suddenly started patting Sue on the back of the neck at every opportunity and vocalizing loudly.
After about two weeks of this behavior, a visit to the vet showed that there was nothing physically wrong with the cat. The vet suggested that perhaps Tom was trying to signal that something was wrong with Sue instead.
And indeed, there was. When Sue checked the back of her neck, she discovered a lump, which was diagnosed as stage three Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Thanks to Tom’s alertness, the condition was treated successfully, and he returned to his usual aloof self. Even Sue’s doctor remarked that she should have listened to the cat.
5. The Cat Who Witnessed a Crisis
A feline hero doesn’t always need to detect a problem with her nose. Sometimes, all she needs to do is be present to witness it. Charley, a female black-and-white cat, had been such a loving kitten when she was rescued by Susan Marsh-Armstrong. However, as she grew older, Charley’s constant proximity began to feel more like a nuisance than a comfort. One night in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, her persistent presence proved to be a life-saving asset.
Susan had gotten up to use the bathroom when she suddenly collapsed onto the floor from a hypoglycemic attack. Charley, who had never shown much interest in the rest of the family, then went to the bed where Susan’s husband, Kevin, was sleeping.
Leaping onto the unsuspecting man, the cat began swatting at his hand with her paw and licking his face, punctuating the actions with an occasional squeak. He tried to dismiss her with an irritated gesture, but she kept returning to her mission: Pat. Lick. Squeak. Pat. Lick. Squeak.
Eventually realizing the cat’s behavior was more than a little odd, Kevin followed her to the bathroom. There, he was able to revive his wife by administering a shot of glucogen. Charley was probably thinking, If this happens again, I might as well just bite him to save time!
4. The Cat Who Took Down a Thief
In May 2014, four-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo was innocently riding his bike in front of his house in Bakersfield, California, when he was attacked by a neighborhood dog. Security footage revealed the menacing dog creeping around a parked car to sneak up on Jeremy. The animal knocked the boy off his bike and clamped onto his leg, likely trying to drag him away.
That’s when Jeremy’s loyal tabby cat, Tara, leapt into action. She catapulted herself straight into the side of the startled dog, who wisely ran off just as Jeremy’s mother arrived. Tara chased the dog a short distance down the sidewalk before racing back to Jeremy’s side.
No doubt she was determined that no scruffy, flea-infested, son of a literal you-know-what was going to harm her boy! A video of the incident posted on YouTube earned Tara an SPCA award, an honor typically given to hero dogs. In this case, though, a cat clearly had the upper paw.
3. The Cat Who Prevented a Suicide
Sometimes, it’s the affection of a cat that makes all the difference. In the summer of 2010, Staff Sergeant Jesse Knott rescued a mistreated, gray tabby-striped cat in Afghanistan and named her Koshka. That winter, after losing two friends to a suicide bombing and facing a crumbling marriage, Jesse fell into a deep depression.
Knott had planned to end his life, but Koshka seemed to sense his distress. She began head-butting him and swiping at his forehead, as if to say, “Forget those dark thoughts! I’m still here, and I may not be gourmet, but I’m definitely not chopped liver—though I wouldn’t mind some for dinner.”
Revived by his devoted cat, Knott came up with a plan to bring her back to the U.S., where she was adopted by his grateful parents. It’s likely that countless others battling temporary suicidal thoughts have been saved by the love—and sometimes the dependence—of cats like Koshka.
2. The Cat Who Sensed a Snake
Cats don’t just battle dogs when protecting their loved ones. In January 2013, in Lismore, Australia, Tess Guthrie was sleeping beside her two-year-old daughter, Zara, when she was startled awake by the sound of her cat, Duchess, hissing at something in the darkened room. Duchess had been acting oddly for days, so Tess grabbed her cell phone to investigate. In the light of the phone, she discovered a python coiled around her daughter’s arm.
The snake struck the child three times before Tess could pull her away in a panic. Scooping up Zara, she rushed next door to her father’s house to call for help.
After the python was safely released back into the wild, Duchess vanished, likely upset that no one had listened to her earlier warnings. Or perhaps she realized how easily a giant snake could overpower her too.
1. The Cat Who Surprised a Thug
Tara isn’t the only female cat with a fierce protectiveness for her family. In May 2010, Cherry Woods of Pearland, Texas, was walking home early one morning when two pit bulls charged at her, knocking her down repeatedly as she fought to keep them away. Hearing her cries, her husband, Harold, rushed out to help, but he too failed to scare off the aggressive dogs.
That’s when the couple’s typically shy tortoiseshell cat, Lima, leapt from the bushes, hissing and scratching at the dogs. Her unexpected appearance caught the dogs off guard long enough for Harold to pull his wife to safety inside the house.
The newspaper account doesn’t specify how Lima managed to escape without harm. Perhaps she darted back into the bushes, or maybe she gave the dogs one of those “You want to try me?” looks. Either way, it’s clear that you don’t want to mess with a Texas tortie when she’s riled up!
