'Hero’: How a cat saved an elderly woman after a bad fall
Crossing paths with a black cat can often be a sign of bad fortune ahead.
But one woman will be thanking her lucky stars after a neighbour came across her black cat named Piran.
Piran was found meowing in a field in Bodin, at Cornwall in England, on Sunday.
His owner, an 83-year-old woman, had been reported missing from her home.
Tamar Longmuir, one of the woman's neighbours, told Sky News a friend told her of the woman's disappearance on Saturday so she went looking but could not find her.
But Ms Longmuir did come across the woman's cat meowing in the corner of a large maize field near the house.
It turns out Piran's owner had fallen about 20 metres down a steep embankment in what police described as "incredibly difficult access and uneven terrain".
Ms Longmuir said Piran “was definitely trying to tell us she was in there somewhere”. She found the cat at the field's gateway.
She told Sky News she checked the field and then down the ravine and called out the woman's name.
"She had gone through the barbed wire and was laying in the stream, we think she had been in there for hours," she said.
Ms Longmuir checked her for injuries after climbing down. The woman was OK and she called for help.
Police said the fire department was called along with water rescue. She was lifted out of the embankment via line rescue.
The woman was transported to hospital in a stable condition.
“Whilst the lady concerned is still currently receiving care, she is in good spirits and is being well looked after,” police said.
Piran was labelled a “hero” by police – a reputation only enhanced by people on Facebook.
“Wow animals are amazing,” one woman wrote.
Others called Piran “heroic” and hoped he was rewarded “with a sardine or two”.
Ms Longmuir said she plans on buying Piran some treats as a reward for saving his owner.
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