[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.

[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.