A cat in Odisha recently went viral after preventing a cobra from entering a house in Bhubaneswar's Kapileswar area. The cobra, having slithered towards a house found it's way blocked by a formidable foe - the family's small white cat. Visuals shared online show the stern sentinel facing off against the cobra, an encounter that reportedly lasted a half hour.
Later photos showed the feline sitting down with some snacks (presumably a well-earned reward). The incident took place on Tuesday evening. at the house of Sampad Kumar Parida. On seeing the snake, the family had panicked and called the snake helpline phone number. While they waited, the cat stood guard outside the house and prevented the snake from entering.
"Our cat prevented the cobra from entering inside for nearly 30 minutes till a team from the Snake Helpline reached the spot. He is around one and a half years old and lives with us like a family member," Parida told ANI.
Needless to say, social media is rather impressed with this turn of events. While many proclaimed themselves "proud cat parents", others lamented the somewhat cowardly nature of their dogs (and other pets).
"That is why ancient Egyptians revered cats as protectors against evil forces," concluded one Twitter user. Cats, others opined, did not deserve the bad reputation they had acquired.
"Showing this to my dogs and shaming them," read another post.
