'The kitten was his warmth and hope': Orange Kitten Saves Cat Dad's Life After They Fall Into Frozen Ravine, The Heartwarming (Literally) Cat Provides Critical Care Until Rescue Teams Arrive the Next Day

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Dec 12, 2024 11:00 AM EST

This….is not a story you come by very often, feline fam. People always joke about how dogs are man's best friend, but this story might just start proving to people that cats are also man's best friend. While hiking in the mountains, one man took his cat with him to start a new life, fleeing as a refugee. However, they got trapped in a snowstorm and ended up falling into a frozen ravine that had a temperature of less than 15 degrees fahrenheit. Frozen from the cold, the man and his orange kitten were trapped down there.

Despite the cold water and snowstorm, the cat stayed with him, lying on his body, providing him with critical warmth…and hope. They stayed there overnight together, praying for help. The next day, after an arduous extraction of over five hours, the man and his kitten were rescued and brought to safety. Even in the hospital, the cat still wouldn't leave his side. Now, that is the definition of a good cat. Scroll down to read the purrfectly incredible story below!

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  • 01
    This orange cat is a true hero. He used his brain cells to save his owner's life.
    via u/Laura3558
  • 02
    vis 8
    via u/Laura3558

    What a hero. We've heard of cats saving their hooman's lives metaphorically, but literally? This is a life-changing story (again, quite literally). He deserves all the treats for the rest of his little life. What a good kitty!

  • 03
    Cheezburger Image 10439527936
    via u/Laura3558

    Even in the hospital, he won't leave his hooman's side. That's true love right there. Would your cat do the same for you? We'd like to think ours would.

  • 04
    "The 28-year-old Ukrainian man who fell into a nearly 400-meter deep ravine in the Maramures Mountains was extracted by rescuers and border guards after almost five hours and half an effort."
    via u/Laura3558
  • 05
    poodleaficionado • 1d ago • Orange connoisseur Sorry to everyone else whose cats were extra dumb this week, but this guy needed the cell!
    via u/poodleaficionado
  • 06
    Laura3558 OP. 1d ago • The man fell into a ravine in the icy water of a stream and remained there immobilized. He survived an entire night, at minus 12 degrees Celsius, because he held the animal tightly to his chest. That kept him warm. Although he was in an advanced state of hypothermia when he was found by rescuers, the young man was holding the cat to his chest.
    via u/Laura3558
  • 07
    "400 meters, in 5 and a half hours, hellish (...) The slope had a 50% inclination. The most difficult part, from a technical point of view, has passed. The mountain rescuers together with the border police managed to extract in maximum safety the Ukrainian boy and the kitten that stayed glued to his chest for the entire 5 and a half hours. From now on, the descent will follow for the next few hours, through over half a meter of snow, with a blizzard and piercing cold. But the support teams of Sa
    via u/Laura3558
  • 08
    After a night in the cold and blizzard, mountain rescuers and border guards found the man clutching the cat that saved his life. In the hardest moments, the kitten brought home from Ukraine was his warmth and hope. The director of the Maramures Mountain Rescue Service wanted to specify that the kitten that accompanied the young man from Ukraine and was with him for more than 24 hours spent in the ravine will stay with him.
    via u/Laura3558
  • 09
    "He's 28 years old, and the kitten is his, from home, in Ukraine, and no one will ever be able to take it from him, because the kitten kept him alive last night," said Dan Benga. According to him, 15 mountain rescuers, some from the bases in Cavnic and Baia Mare, who joined the team on the ground, participated in the rescue operation. The rescue teams were supported by border police. The young man pulled from the ravine is part of a group of three Ukrainians who crossed the border into Romania.
    via u/Laura3558
  • 10
    WolfFang Yeet • 1d ago • Casual orange enjoyer This orange: My orange boi:
    via u/WolfFangYeet
  • 11
    Tools4toys 1d ago Proud owner of an orange brain cell Companionship? Keeping him warm? If the Orange was like my boi, he was sitting on his chest, tapping him on the face, saying 'I needs to eat boy!' Love comes in may forms, just rejoyce in what we get.
    via u/Tools4toys
  • 12
    notrapunzel 1d ago Top 1% Commenter Meanwhile, my orange is determined to eat the Christmas lights, especially while they're plugged in.
    via u/notrapunzel
  • 13
    O Caloric_Recycling 1d ago . • *telepathically calls out to all orange braincell parts on Earth* "Bros, it's time to assemble... I HAVE THE POWAH OF... THOUGHT!"
    via u/Caloric_Recycling
  • 14
    • Major_Sympathy9872 1d ago • For all of the naysayers wondering what the cat did... Hope. There's an experiment where they put rats or some other creatures in water to see how long they could last treading water. They had two groups one group of rats that they didn't allow out of the water and one group where they removed the rats after a few minutes before immediately putting them back in the water.
    via u/Major_Sympathy9872
  • 15
    The rats that were stuck in the water and weren't removed, they lasted maybe 20 minutes, the rats that were removed lasted something like 10 hours. Now I'm paraphrasing this experiment, but this was the gist... Their finding was that hope can keep someone fighting for survival and this little one braincell gave the man hope.
    via u/Major_Sympathy9872
  • 16
    The5th Redditor • 1d ago. My Orange spent 3 hours sniffing my new backpack, so I assume he loaned his out for a good amount of time.
    via u/The5thRedditor
  • 17
    supermariobruhh . 23h ago. Anytime my wife or I are really sick, our cats spend a significant amount of time in bed with us just checking if we're ok. Same if we're feeling down or anxious. They can be very empathetic and loving when shown the same. This man must have really shown a lot of love to this absolute unit of a good boy.
    via u/supermariobruhh
  • 18
    sd2528 1d ago • • Top 1% Commenter He deserves all of the treats.
    via u/sd2528
  • 19
    lazylazylemons 23h ago . "Honestly, I wasn't leaving until he fed me." ~orange cat, probably
    via u/lazylazylemons
  • 20
    SeaWeedSkis · 1d ago • The translations are hilarious. The story is heart warming, just like that orange. Smart move to tuck a cat into his jacket when outdoors in cold weather. Chemical hot packs not required, just bring cat.
    via u/SeaWeedSkis
  • 21
    PoloSan9 • 1d ago. And that day all the other orange cats around the world had a collective brain short circuit
    via u/PoloSan9
  • 22
    National-Worry2900 • 1d ago. Orange cats are a gift sent from the heavens. I'm yet to meet one I don't love straight away and my nephew tomiya is 15 and a big ball of cute cat., Loving little blighters.
    via u/National-Worry2900
  • 23
    Emotional_Fan_7011 • 1d ago • This explains my cat dinging his head on the dining room table, and actually hearing his head 'ding'.
    via u/Emotional_Fan_7011
  • 24
    Strawng_ • 1d ago. I have a theory orange boyz specifically evolved to be best human companions more than any other domestic cats because they cannot survive as oranges in the wild. Every predator would just see them. They evolved specifically to be in the house with their hooman and be seen so they can be picked up and cuddled, due to attractive color the humans can't help themselves.
    via u/Strawng_
  • 25
    • jackierabbit256 · 9h ago • Orange cats are likely to be extra dumb these next couple weeks - thank you for your patience while the brain cell recharges.
    via u/jackierabbit256

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Tags

hope heartwarming kitten save rescue story warmth cat dad feline cat rescue orange cats snowstorm Cats loving cute kittens animals rescue
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