Meet a most unusual animal guide from the Swiss Alps. This cat saves lost hikers from certain misery by leading them to safety.
A four-legged angel of mercy and possibly a St. Bernard in disguise, this pretty tuxedo cat whose name is unknown, has a personal agenda that focuses on rescuing stranded hikers. In fact, helping lost hikers find their way appears to be her raison d'etre. For years, this anonymous cat has been helping humans in trouble and no one is even sure who she is. All that is known is that she belongs to a couple who own a hostel in a nearby town. (See the article on Bretagne.)
This cat guide rescued a hiker just this week
A few days ago, a Hungarian hiker who is only known as sc4s2cg on Reddit, sprained his ankle while exploring the Bemese Oberland in the mountains near Gimmelwald, Switzerland. After discovering that the return route to his hostel was blocked, he found himself at a loss as to what to do. Out of nowhere, as if a genie was conjured by the rub on a magic lamp, appeared this black and white cat, that led him to safety. Oddly, as soon as the hiker found the pathway, the cat went along its merry way, without so much as a backward glance.
In a Reddit post, the hiker said: "The cat was just wandering around, and then found me while I was resting from a hike. Then she was walking and kept looking back at me to follow. She led me straight to the path that would take me back down the valley."
A guide cat with many missions under her belt (if she wore a belt)
From as far back as 2013, there have been reports from other hikers that the mysterious cat has been seen in the area. Is she a guardian angel assigned from some unknown deity to protect those who have lost their way? No one can say, but it is very odd that cats, so often considered aloof creatures lost in their own personal needs, are also heroes. (See my article on the act who saved a baby in Russia.)
Whether driven by courage or kibble, this cat is a heroine. (See my article on the dog who fell on the subway tracks.) She protects hikers who venture too far into the treacherous mountainside and guides them to safe ground. She needs a medal with her name engraved on it, whatever that may be.
How about Jeanne D'Alps?
