WASHINGTON — The old wives’ tale is, keep your kitties out of the cradle because they’ll snatch your baby’s breath away.
Well, one cat in Russia is being credited with jumping into a box with a baby and keeping her alive.
According to accounts, the baby had been abandoned at night in a box in the city of Obninsk, about 60 miles south of Moscow. The city has been experiencing overnight temperatures in the 20s and 30s all week.
A neighbor said that Masha, a long-haired gray tabby stray familiar to residents who largely feed and care of her together, was crying out to her during a morning walk. Much to the woman’s surprise, Masha was lying with a baby in a box.
“She is very placid and friendly, so when I heard her meowing, I thought that perhaps she had injured herself,” said Obninsk city resident Irina Lavrova. “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.”
The baby, who was judged to be less than 12 weeks old, was rushed to the hospital. And doctors say that despite several hours in the cold, she was just fine — thanks to Masha. “Clearly her mothering instincts took over and she wanted to protect the child,” said Lavrova.
“Everyone in the block is very proud of her,” she said of Masha, who is being hailed as a hero. “We have all spoiled her rotten by giving her her favorite food.”
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