Cat Saves Abandoned Baby's Life

Cats have a pretty bum rap. They're notorious for being selfish animals and many suspect that they don't even care for the owners that feed them, never mind humans in general. However, every now and then a cat will do something that will remind us that our feline friends aren't as bad as dogs would want us believing.

A homeless cat in the town of Obninsk in the Kaluga region of Russia was recently declared the savior of a baby boy - preventing the child , who was no more than 3 months old, from freezing in temperatures below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

The cat, who was named Masha by residents in the neighborhood, isn't exactly a stranger to humans. According to the World News Report, who first discovered the story, the long-haired tabby normally sleeps in a covered box in the town, and regularly takes handouts from those who live in the nearby apartments.

Local station TV Zvezda said that the cat usually spends her cold Russian days cuddled up in her makeshift home, but earlier this week, she left that comfort to save a child's life.

The baby boy, who has yet to be identified, was reportedly abandoned at the entrance to the aging apartment block, swaddled in a thin blanket and left in a box with diapers.

Locals are assuming that Masha must have heard the child's cries before they did, because when resident Nadezhda Makhovikova eventually checked outside her home to see what Masha was yowling about, she found the cat wrapped around the crying child.

"The baby had only been outside for a few hours and thanks to Masha ... he was not damaged by the experience," a hospital spokesman later told Central European News.

"Everyone in the block is very proud of her," block resident Irina Lavrova added. "We have all spoiled her rotten by giving her her favorite food."

Interestingly, it should be noted that Masha certainly isn't the first cat to be moved by the cries of an infant, and she's not likely to be the last. Interspecies child care is, in fact, pretty common, and Nature World News recently discussed why. You can read more about the incredible phenomenon here.

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