Hortense, Our Savior

One would not think that a cat could save someone, but as time goes on, we are seeing more and more cases of cats saving people from many kinds of disasters. A good example of this is the video that went viral about a cat who saved a young boy from being attacked by a dog. They may not seem as the loyal type, but there is always a chance for everything. This story is about how the cat named Hortense saved our family after she was saved by our grandmother.

The story begins back in the the year of 2016, when my grandmother, Harriet Roberts, was out working in her garden in the mountains of Southern Idaho. It was a peaceful day with very few clouds and her beans and carrots were ready to be picked. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted some movement but was unsure as to what it was. A few seconds later, a young brown tabby cat slowly crept out from the lilac bushes that surrounded her garden. The feline was very weak and seemed to be asking my grandmother for something to eat. My grandmother picked up the wandering kitty and brought her into her three story house.

After a bit of food was in her belly, my grandmother prepared a box for the cat outside the door of her house and placed her in it. The cat didn't stay for long and disappeared for a short while. A few nights later, the cat came back to her house, scratching at the front door for more food. My grandmother received the cat warmly, since they didn't have very many of her family members that would come and visit, aside from my family and I. Later my grandmother named the cat Hortense, which means gardener in Latin. Hortense had been with my grandmother since that day, even until the month of June in the year of 2020, when my grandmother passed away after a long battle with bone cancer. I believe that Hortense made it easier for her since she would always have someone to comfort her whenever she was in pain.

After my grandmothers passing, my family inherited her house and my grandfather moved into the house behind us. Our family had taken a very big hit after the loss of our beloved grandmother, especially me and my mother, since we both were both very close to her. During all this time, my grandmothers cat Hortense was still living at the residence and it was as if she could sense our remorse of losing our loved one. Later, about a week after we had finished moving from our old house to the new one and we were all sitting on the front porch, Hortense came up to us. Normally she would not come up to people who were unfamiliar to her and tended to stay around our grandmother.

She hopped upon my lap and made herself comfy before starting to purr in a very aggressive manner. I had seen this happen a few times before with my grandmother when she was struggling and needed a little time outside. Hortense would do the same thing and it would soothe her soul somehow to the point where her pain would eventually dissipate. The same thing was happening now since we were all mourning our beloved's passing. I felt calm knowing that she was there and in a way, I feel as if my grandmother was sitting beside me at that very moment. It felt as if she was telling me that it was okay and that she was in a better place now and that Hortense could be her substitute until we could meet again. To this day I still remember that moment, and I believe that it saved me and the rest of my family from our suffering. We have since then accepted her passing and even now, Hortense will come to me and sit in my lap and purr whenever I need to feel a comforting embrace of one who was here before us.