When we are told about the brave actions of an animal, to protect its human, we automatically think of a dog. It makes sense since dogs are amazingly loyal, but many animals have the capability of bonding with humans, even at such a level, that they would risk their lives to protect them from harm. Cats are one of them, and this is a story of how one cat managed to save the life of a 9-month-old baby from the hands of a suspicious babysitter.
A Happy Family
Our story begins with Carrie and Dennis, a lovely couple who was living quietly with their cat, Zara. Everything seemed to be going great for them, with a nice house and stable jobs. Domestic bliss. What came to shake this delicate balance was the baby. Of course, they wanted a baby, and they were extremely happy and thankful for it, but there was one major concern.
The Cat Problem
Cats are very territorial creatures, so they were concerned that if they bring a baby to the house, Zara would be aggressive towards it, making them very anxious about how to deal with this tricky situation. What they were afraid of the most, was that the cat would attack the baby, so they would be forced to give the cat away. They were surprised when they brought the baby into the house for the first time.
Zara’s Reaction
Zara went to them as usual but was surprised by the smell of the baby. She was hesitant to approach him at the beginning, not knowing what was happening. Slowly, slowly, she mustered the courage and got closer to the new member of the family. The couple was on high alert, ready to intervene if something went wrong, but they couldn’t expect what happened next.
Zara Is In Love
Zara seemed to be ok with the baby. No hissing, no attacking, no nothing. As it turned out, not only was she ok with the baby, she was in love with it. From what the couple said, it was the definition of love at first sight. They couldn’t believe it. After a few weeks, they were laughing at the thought that the cat would harm the baby.
A Quiet Life
For a few months, everything went on uneventfully. Little Ollie (the baby), was healthy and Zara was always around him. They were sleeping together, playing, and soon they became inseparable. Unfortunately, all this was about to change very soon.
We Need A Babysitter
Since it had been 9 months that Carrie didn’t work so she could take care of little Ollie, the couple decided that it would be better if Carrie went back to her job and they hired a babysitter.
Of course, it wasn’t an easy decision to make, since they would have to leave their only baby for many hours, while they are at work. Just the process to find the right one is complicated. But there was a different alternative.
The Fear Of Strangers
Instead of leaving Ollie with a stranger, they thought it would be a better idea if the babysitter was someone they already knew. Someone from their inner circle that they could trust. It makes sense, if you know the person, you know they are not going to do anything bad to your child, right? Wrong.
The Perfect Canditate
They decided to ask the help of the 21-year-old Alyssa. Carrie talked with her and Alyssa was very glad to work for them. She was polite, and when they brought her to meet little Ollie, she was enthusiastic and playful with him. She was a family friend, so they thought they could trust her. Unfortunately, they were wrong.
Something Is Wrong
The first one to notice was none other than Ollie’s best friend, Zara. Even though Alyssa had visited the couple many times in the past something was different this time. Zara, who usually went to Alyssa and cuddled with her, was distant and didn’t approach the babysitter at all. The couple thought that it was nothing. If only they had paid more attention to the cat, they could have avoided what happened next.
Animals Instincts
They say that animals can perceive things that we humans don’t understand. Some animals can notice when you are feeling depressed or scared. Probably that was the case with Zara and Alyssa. The cat could probably notice that there was something wrong with the babysitter. Something about her was making Zara defensive against her. And she was right.
Alyssa Gets Hired
The family was pleased with Alyssa’s behavior and they decided to hire her as their babysitter. Carrie went back to working, feeling content that her baby was with someone she could trust. Every day Alyssa would go to their house to take care of Ollie. But after a few weeks, something changed.
The First Symptoms Appear
Ollie started acting strangely. He seemed more scared in the house and he was getting startled by sudden movements and sounds. What made the couple act, was a strange thing.
One day, they got home and found Ollie with a cut on his lower lip. Of course, they asked Alyssa what had happened, but she said that the baby just fell while he was playing. And that wasn’t all.
Things Get More Serious
When Carrie took the baby's clothes to wash them, she was surprised to find that there was blood on them. A truly shocking spectacle for a new mother, that was already suspicious of her babysitter. There was no doubt in Carrie’s mind that something was going on. They couldn’t guess what that would be.
Time For Action
The couple decided that something was wrong, so they put a small recorder in Zara’s collar. They didn’t want to think of the worst, so they just tried to remain positive through this experience. Maybe it was as Alyssa was saying and nothing fishy was going on. Unfortunately, what they heard from this recorder shocked them in the worst way possible.
What They Heard
It was a roller coaster of emotions. The first thing they heard was Zara meowing at the baby, and the baby trying to meow back at him. Of course, that made them laugh a lot, a bit relieved that so far nothing bad had happened. Maybe they were wrong to be worried? After all the babysitter was their family friend. Everything was about to change when Alyssa entered the room.
Alyssa Enters The Room
The moment she entered the room, Ollie started crying. Something was going on. Carrie and Dennis had no video, but they clearly heard Ollie crying. They were expecting to hear Alyssa’s voice trying to calm Ollie down. That’s what they should have heard. But they would soon find out, why their baby was so scared these past few days.
The Shocking Truth
Alyssa suddenly started screaming at Ollie to “shut up”. Out of nowhere, she would curse at Ollie and order him to “Get over it”. The couple was listening to this thing, in a state of shock. They could also notice from the audio, that Zara was next to them hissing all the time. She was clearly trying to protect Ollie from this barrage of curses and yelling. The couple rushed home to catch her in the act.
Alyssa Pretends Everything Is Ok
But when they got home, they found Alyssa being friendly to Ollie. They tried to file a police report with the recording as evidence, but they were told that this wasn’t enough to accuse her. They had to come up with some more concrete evidence that she is maltreating Ollie. Although they were terrified to leave Ollie with the babysitter again, it was the only way to get more evidence against Alyssa.
The Couple Gets Cameras
They got a few cameras and hid them in the living room and the kid’s bedroom. If Alyssa did anything to Ollie, they would be ready to intervene having recorded everything in the video. Feeling that they are ready for what was coming, they left Alyssa alone with Ollie. Not even 15 minutes had passed when the babysitter was caught on camera doing something that infuriated and shocked the couple.
The Police
The first thing the couple did, was to call the police. They knew that this could go on no longer. After calling they contacted the police, they hurried back to the house to confront the babysitter. Her actions were unacceptable and she had to be stopped. We hope that no child has to go through what poor little Ollie had to endure for weeks.
Alyssa Is Caught In The Act
They got home and they found her sitting on top of Ollie. A grown woman was resting on top of a 10-month-old baby. On top of that, she was screaming straight at his face cursing at him, and telling him to shut up. Completely unacceptable behavior for a babysitter. The couple was thankful to have the cameras as proof, as well as the people that can read the story and be warned.
Alyssa’s Reaction
Alyssa was surprised by the appearance of the parents in the house, and asked them if something is wrong with the baby, Carrie said. Carrie answered that she was there to ask the same question to her. It was a very intense moment, and Alyssa started getting defensive, pretending that nothing had happened and that the couple had just misunderstood what they saw. She couldn’t continue with that though.
Alyssa Gets Arrested
This time, the couple filed charges for child endangering, and Alyssa was arrested the same day. With the video as evidence, it was more than enough to find her guilty and protect any other unsuspecting couple from going through the same. Carrie and Dennis were really scared with this whole experience, fearing that it might have traumatized Ollie.
The Sentence
In the meantime, Alyssa got sentenced to prison, unless she took anger management classes to protect herself and the people around her. Of course, she was forbidden from ever babysitting again. Some people find that she got off too lightly. The justice system decided that this was enough for now since she has no criminal record. They will be keeping an eye on her of course.
The Real Guardian
As it turns out, the instinct of Zara was correct from the beginning. She could understand that something is wrong with Alyssa and she didn’t want her next to Ollie. Everybody was surprised to see a cat being so protective of a human. It was clear that there was a very strong connection between Zara and Ollie and it was meant to stay like that.
Trying To Trust Again
As it’s normal, the couple was afraid to trust any other babysitter after what had happened to them. It is scary by itself, to live your child alone with a stranger, imagine if this has happened to you. Of course, it’s a problem they will have to deal with sooner or later, for now, they are content with making it work by themselves. Ollies condition was not what people were expecting.
Ollie Is Healthy
Ollie seems to have completely recovered from this experience without any problem. His behavior is back to normal and he seems lively and happy. Although it is too early to say if this experience left him any bad memories, the doctors suggest that since he has recovered so fast, probably he will not even remember it.
Zara Is The Hero Of The Story
It turns out, that the couple considers Zara the hero of this story since from the very beginning it did everything it could to warn a couple of what was happening behind their backs. They learned their lesson and from now on they will listen to Zara’s instincts more than everything. It looks like she can smell bad people, and the couple trust this skill.
Zara And Ollie Are More In Love Than Ever
Zara and Ollie are growing together, and they are more inseparable than ever. With a guardian as loyal and fearless as Zara, the couple has nothing to be worried about. Nobody knows why the cat fell in love so deeply with Ollie, but they are very thankful that she was there to record the experience and deter Alyssa from doing anything crazier.
A Happy Ending
Now the family is living happily all together, and this experience seems to have brought them closer together. They are putting the past behind them and they are looking forward to creating an amazing life altogether.