We often hear stories of cats being curious, playful, and downright mischievous. Yet. some of them take it a step further and become our protectors in ways that are hard to believe.
One such cat is Opie, and his incredible story is one you won’t want to miss.
One morning in York, PA, Angelica Sipe’s world turned upside down in an instant. She was startled awake by the noise of a stray bullet shattering the window.
woman holding a boy
The terrified woman felt her heart stop. It took her a moment to process what had just happened.
The first thing she did was check on her three-year-old son who was sleeping, unaware of the danger that had just invaded their home. Thankfully, the boy was unharmed.
But then she spotted her cat Opie lying on the floor in another room. Seeing blood on the top of his head, it didn’t take long for her to realize that Opie had been shot!
As Angelica rushed towards him, her breath caught in her throat as she realized the shocking truth: that bullet could have hit her son.
injured cat
It had ripped straight through the couch where the boy had been lying. But instead, it struck Opie, leaving four holes in his body.
The sight was horrifying. A trail of blood marked each place the bullet had ravaged the kitty,
“It came in the top of his head out the bottom of his neck and back into his shoulder and out his armpit rib area.”
photo of couch in the livingroom
The bullet then bounced off and slammed into the couch before finally coming to a stop in a pillow on another seat, just inches away from Angelica’s son.
Her eyes welled up with tears as it all started to sink in. The bullet could have torn through her son just as brutally.
Angelica’s son was too young to understand the danger they had just escaped, but he knew one thing for sure: Opie was a hero.
cat with stitches
So when the vet suggested putting Opie to sleep due to his poor condition, Angelica knew she had to save him.
She firmly believed that Opie had saved her son’s life; if the bullet hadn’t struck Opie first, it might have hit the boy instead. So, the grateful mom refused this option right away, as she shared:
“I wanted to keep him. He was my son’s little hero… He saved my son’s life so I need to keep him around.”
After that terrifying ordeal, Opie ended up with muscle damage and had to undergo surgery. Fortunately, everything went well.
hero cat
The resilient kitty now has a long and challenging recovery ahead, with more surgeries on the horizon. He has a drainage tube and stitches, but the good news is that he’s expected to pull through.
As the vet bills are mounting quickly, reaching nearly $1,000 already, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Opie’s medical expenses.
I hope Opie will quickly make a full recovery and continue to live happily with the little boy he protected and the family who adores him.