Unexpected
She was speechless, and a swell of emotions flooded her mind. It had taken a lot of effort to follow this cat and figure out the reason for her strange behavior. And now that she knew the truth, she almost couldn’t believe it.
In all her years of taking care of stray cats, she had never seen something like this. But, despite her incredulity, she knew she had to do something about this bizarre situation.
Cat Lover
But Ari had never imagined that her love of cats would lead her to this wild adventure. Living in Seoul, South Korea, she has been around cats her whole life, and she took to them since she was really young.
Five years ago, she moved to an area of the city with many apartment buildings close to each other. The large number of back alleys and terraces makes it a perfect spot for stray cats to congregate. The woman became acquainted with them pretty quickly.
Their Caretaker
Ari started feeding the stray cats soon after she moved in, even though it caused problems with the neighbors. Because the cats knew they would find food there, it seemed like there were more appearing every day.
It didn’t take long before all the cats in the neighborhood knew her, and she knew them. But cats are furtive, and she didn’t know all their secrets. There was one cat who was especially intriguing, and it soon caught the woman’s attention.
The Mysterious Tabby
Ari started to take notice of one particular cat – a female tabby, who started acting differently from all the other cats. When she approached with bowls of food, she would come near and sniff around but didn’t take any.
Ari thought she might have just eaten, but she did the same thing the next day. Then she realized she’d seen that cat before. It wasn’t strange for stray cats to disappear for a while and come back. What was strange was this cat’s behavior.
A Mother’s Loss
Ari remembered that the tabby, whom she had named Dong-Sook, had given birth not long before in one of the buildings’ basements. A neighbor informed her that she’d had five kittens but that none of them made it.
She felt sad thinking about that and assumed maybe the cat was still grieving for her kittens. Could it be that Dong-Sook was so heartbroken that she didn’t even feel like eating anymore?
Hatching A Plan
Ari decided to try and cheer up the tabby. She bought wet cat food, something she only brought out on special occasions. There was no way that Dong-Sook would refuse such a tasty treat.
She opened the can and placed it on the ground in front of her. The cat stared at the food, looked up at her, and meowed. But she didn’t touch the can. Then she did something unexpected.
Taking What She Wanted
As she stood there watching Dong-Sook, Ari held a bag of dry cat food that she would later give to the other strays. She knelt down to pet the tabby, still bewildered at her refusal to eat.
The cat then reached out with her paw, trying to knock the bag out of her hand. Ari let the bag drop to the floor. Dong-Sook grabbed it with her teeth and darted away, leaving Ari scratching her head in confusion.
Only Bags
Ari was still in disbelief at Dong-Sook’s behavior. In her five years feeding strays, she’d never seen one act like that. The next day, she came out armed with another bag of food, wanting to see if Dong-Sook would try to take it from her again.
Just as the day before, the cat took the bag and ran. Ari still had no idea why, but she was determined to find out.
Giving Chase
Ari had decided to follow Dong-Sook to see where she took the food. She came outside, as usual, with a plastic bag of cat food. She waited for the tabby to appear, and placed the bag on the ground.
As soon as the cat took it, Ari followed, camera in hand. As Dong-Sook led her through narrow alleys, she realized it would not be easy to keep up with her.
Lost Her
Ari lost track of the cat when she jumped up on a ledge onto a terrace. She’d have to return the following day to try and find out where the cat was going.
Only, Dong-Sook didn’t come for food the next day... or the day after that. Ari loved all the cats, but there was just something about that tabby that made her worry.
Where Was Dong-Sook?
Three days passed and there was still no sign of Dong-Sook. Ari was beginning to fear the worst. In her city, many people still regarded the street cats as vermin and even thought they brought bad luck.
Life as a street cat was hard enough. But in Seoul, stray cats had it harder than most. Had something happened to her? Then, Ari remembered something.
Cat Behavior
Ari remembered that Dong-Sook had her kittens in the basement of one of the buildings in the area, so she decided to look for her there.
She knew enough about cat behavior to know that if Dong-Sook was sick or injured, she’d look for a safe, quiet place to hide. She only hoped she wasn’t already too late.
Searching The Basement
Ari searched the basement, but then her heart dropped. There was a blanket in a corner that must have been Dong-Sook’s den with empty packets scattered around it, but no sign of the cat.
Ari had to get to the bottom of what had happened. She just had to know. So she went home, fetched her camera, and set it up near the site. Then, she heard a small sound.
What Was She Doing?
Ari dashed up the ladder and found Dong-Sook! She was pacing around a raised platform with a plastic bag of food still in her mouth.
It was almost as if she was waiting for something. Dong-Sook called again with a muffled meow. Then she saw it: from under the old blanket, something emerged.
Hungry Kitten
The small tabby kitten walked up to Dong-Sook, who promptly dropped the bag of food at its feet. The kitten proceeded to rip the bag open with its teeth, with such ease that Ari figured it had done it before.
It then ate the food inside, as Dong-Sook watched closely. Ari realized what this meant.
The One Survivor
Clearly, not all of Dong-Sook’s litter had perished. This one kitten survived, and its mother was doing everything she could to keep it alive. Ari was brought to tears by this realization and decided she had to do something to help.
While Dong-Sook was clever and resourceful, Ari wanted to ensure her efforts would not be in vain so she contacted a local animal rescue group. She wanted to give the tabby and her kitten a better life.
Trying To Catch Her
Staff from the animal group saw Ari’s video and were left in awe of Dong-Sook’s actions. “After suffering, she was attached to the kitten,” said one of them. They sent rescuers to her neighborhood to find and catch the cats.
It was not an easy task since they were not familiar to Dong-Sook. As a lifelong stray, the tabby would not give in without a fight.
Together And Safe
The rescuers trapped the kitten first since it was smaller and more docile. They picked it up with extreme care, to show Dong-Sook they meant no harm. When the time came to catch the mother, she was wary but eventually let them take her.
She knew it was the only way to be reunited with her kitten. Ari was sad to see them go but rejoiced at the thought of what they were gaining.
A New Life
The group found a home for Dong-Sook and her kitten and bought them a brand new house to sleep in. The kitten was excited about all the new, warm blankets, jumping playfully around its mother.
Dong-Sook didn’t show much emotion, but when feeding time came, she finally accepted a bowl of food. It was as if she knew she no longer had to worry about finding food for her little one. But that's not all she didn't have to worry about anymore...
Rescued
Dong-Sook was sterilized for two reasons: one, she was quite an old cat and the organization didn't want her to have to go through pregnancy again. Two, she wouldn't contribute to the city's stray population anymore.
It's thanks to kind people like Ari and a small band of animal welfare advocates in Seoul that Dong-Sook and her kitten will have a better life. Although most people think helping one animal doesn't make much of a difference, it means everything to that one animal.