Cats Keep Lost Boy Warm (Stray Cat Colony Takes Care Of Homeless Baby)

UPI ^ | Dec. 20, 2008 | UPI

[DogByte6RER]

MISIONES, Argentina, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Argentine police say a destitute 1-year-old boy was kept alive by a colony of stray cats who shared food scraps and kept him warm in the city of Misiones.

The boy, who had been missing for several days, was found by Police Officer Lorean Lindgvist, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday

"The boy was lying at the bottom of a gutter. There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really dirty," Lindgvist said. "When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept."

Lindgvist said she noticed scraps of food near the boy and surmised "the cats knew he was fragile and needed protecting," the Telegraph reported, noting doctors said the warmth of the cats saved the boy during freezing nights that could have killed him.

The boy's father, who is homeless, said his son vanished several days ago and that cats had always been protective of the boy, Lindgvist said.

[Sherman Logan]

Feral housecats often associate in colonies quite similar to lion prides.

[Krankor]

Maybe they’re Argentinian cats.

[nobama08]

LOL - I thought the same thing but, hey, the ends justifies the means. And it’s a nice story.

[nobama08]

I used to love Top Cat. Had forgotten all about him. That was when cartoons were fun to watch and weren’t politically correct.

[aruanan]

There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really dirty," Lindgvist said. "When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept."

"Licking" for salt. "Protective" of their source of heat.

[Question_Assumptions]

Cats do hang out in pairs and groups and do have a social order. I’ve seen it not only among our multiple cats but outside of our house, where the fixed feral mother of two of our indoor cats seems to attract a small fan club from time to time (she’s fixed, so that’s not why they’re hanging out with her). I’ve also seen my cats care for each other. It’s not the same as with humans and dogs, not as strong or overt, but it’s there.

[Krankor]

Ok,ok, there are cat colonies. But I still say they were gonna eat that kid.

[Old Student]

Don't know about that. Our cats have been bringing us “presents” for decades. Crickets,lizards, mice, birds...

Looking awfully proud of themselves when they dropped them, too. I wouldn't recommend it as a child-rearing practice, but I'm not prepared to disbelieve it, either. Cats do the us vs. them thing pretty well, too.

Mine have also cuddled up to us when we were upset, unhappy, or scared.

I've got a photo of my youngest daughter, late-pre-teen, asleep on my bed, with two cats and a small dog snuggled up. There are usually at least that many of them cuddled up to my wife and I most nights, too.

[Will88]

The boy's father, who is homeless, said his son vanished several days ago and that cats had always been protective of the boy, Lindgvist said.

Not an expert on cats, but the child was missing for several days. If they'd had any inclination to harm him, they had plenty of time to do it.

[Fred Nerks]

there's more to this than meets the eye...methinks.

[divine_moment_of_facts]

I’d like to see a cartoon where “Top Cat meets PC Cat in the back alley”! Heh.

[Fire_on_High]

I’ve seen that sort of thing myself. We’ve got 4 cats...2 older unrelated females, and 2 brothers.

Today the brothers were sacked out together on the bed, one stretched full length and the other curled up...being used as a pillow. We got to see them wake up and spend about 10 minutes grooming each other, too.

They’re almost always together, sleeping on the same bed or near each other on the floor, but we seem to catch them actually piled up like that far more often than any other cats we’ve seen. The same boys also tend to still call for each other, even at a year and a half now.

They really do care for each other.

[Vinnie]

A good traditional Argentine name.

They speak Germish. :)

[Allegra]

But my three cats, let me tell you, the minute they get hungry they start tasting my fingers and staring at me in a very meaningful way.

I know that look well. LOL

[Fawn]

Cats often groom eachother. I have 2 that will groom eachother. Mother cats constantly groom their kittens. They spend much of the day grooming themselves. Cats have a need..desire to be clean. Obvioulsly this kid was filthy.

[Mi5ke561]

“Cats often groom eachother. I have 2 that will groom eachother. Mother cats constantly groom their kittens. They spend much of the day grooming themselves. Cats have a need..desire to be clean. Obvioulsly this kid was filthy.”

I’ve got two dogs, a Chow Samoyed cross and a Wolf Doberman cross. The latter is extremely close to my wife’s cat. They fairly constantly groom each other and I suspect that anybody giving the cat a hard time would find my otherwise largely non-violent dog, taking a major piece out of him.

Me, she doesn’t worry about, but that cat gets better protection than the President does. Go figure.

I’m wondering what the cats were thinking when they adopted that kid? Proof of divine intervention probably.

[Nowhere Man]

Cats do hang out in pairs and groups and do have a social order. I’ve seen it not only among our multiple cats but outside of our house, where the fixed feral mother of two of our indoor cats seems to attract a small fan club from time to time (she’s fixed, so that’s not why they’re hanging out with her). I’ve also seen my cats care for each other. It’s not the same as with humans and dogs, not as strong or overt, but it’s there.

Yeah, I know, when I had Pansy and Corky, Pansy was like Corky's foster mother when we took Corky in. Pansy liked to wash Corky from time to time and even up until the day before Pansy passed away from lymphoma at the age of 19, she still found the strength to lick and wash Corky. Pansy passed on in 2006 at 19 years and 8 days and Corky passed on in 2007 at 18 years and 4 months.

[Nowhere Man]

Today the brothers were sacked out together on the bed, one stretched full length and the other curled up...being used as a pillow. We got to see them wake up and spend about 10 minutes grooming each other, too.

They’re almost always together, sleeping on the same bed or near each other on the floor, but we seem to catch them actually piled up like that far more often than any other cats we’ve seen. The same boys also tend to still call for each other, even at a year and a half now.

They really do care for each other.

I have 4 cats now, one cat is the mother, Spunky, two are brother and sister, G.W. ("Dubya") and Whitey. Mom was born around 2000 and the kittens in 2001. We took in one kitten last year (2007) and named him Rascal. Sometimes I see Spunky washing Whitey and they sleep together. Other times, Dubya and Whitey sleep together. Rascal fits in well though, he likes to sleep with Dubya or Whitey. There was a third kitten, Greystone, but he passed away in 2006 from kidney failure, barely made it to 5 years old. There are times I wonder if Rascal is Greystone returning here because he was screwed out of a full life or that Greystone speaks through him. Mom and I just had to have Rascal. The day we got him, we almost decided not to go food shopping but something told us to go. We did and adopted Rascal from a local lady who adopts out cats and kittens by taking them from kill shelters and caring for them until they get homes. She goes to supermarkets and pet stores to get people to see them. Rascal came from a kill shelter in Preston County in West Virginia.

[Fawn]

That is amazing that the chow gets along with the cat....I don't think I could sleep at night. :)
...living briefly with a doberman, I can understand it getting along with anything...they are actually very mild and sweet. That is cute how those two groom eachother...never heard that before!

[BillyA]

HAHAHA!
I agree!