On the slopes of Mt. Britsen in Switzerland, a lost cat had been wandering around looking for a way home for four days. Only after meeting a couple of hikers working their way up 10,000 feet to the summit was she able to get home and reunite with her owners.
Cyril and Erik Rohrer had decided to climb Mt. Britsen in a bid to reach the summit 10,000 feet up when they met a friendly little feline part way. At around 4,000 feet they heard the meows of a frightened lost kitty. Cyril, from Sachseln, Switzerland, had said that the cat was heard in the dark forest at 4:30 am. He described her behavior as “scared and confused”.
The gentle, frightened cat had somehow become separated from civilization and then decided it would be better to follow the Rohrer brothers up the mountain, rather than try to find her own way home and risk getting even more lost.
As the two hikers walked on the lost feline wouldn’t leave their side. She stuck with Cyril and Erik as they hiked uphill, showing steely determination. Nothing was going to keep her from the comfort and company of her two human companions.
Cyril and kept a close eye on their new furry friend as they continued to climb the mountain as they had intended to do. Cyril described how she would shiver from the cold, and even began to bleed from her paws because of the rough and unforgiving frozen snow she was walking on.
Whenever the lost cat seemed to be struggling Cyril or Erik would pick her up to give her some respite from the difficult climb and a chance to rest when she became exhausted. They had felt “really sorry for the cat” as they neared the end of their climb. Not wanting to be left behind by her new friends, she had worn herself out to the point of complete exhaustion by the time they reached the ridge beneath the summit.
The sweet kitty stayed by their side for almost the entire hike, falling just short of the 10,000-foot climb, before Cyril and Erik came across another hiking team heading down the mountain that would be able to take the cat down to safety. They handed the cat over to the other team who took it to the valley below and re-united her with her owner.
It was only once the Rhorer brothers arrived back down on the ground that they found out she had been missing for 4 days before their hike and had previously following a different set of hikers up the same mountain. Cyril pointed out in response to this news that animals are far tougher than humans, and that they keep on going even when they are hurting.
Fortunately, the gentle lost cat is now home safe and sound with her family, and hopefully won’t be following any new hikers up Mt. Britsen anytime soon!
