Hero cat kept meowing until neighbors found his elderly owner who fell down a ravine

An 83-year-old woman from Cornwall, United Kingdom, is safe and sound after falling into a 70-foot ravine—thanks to her pet cat’s persistent meows.

Bodmin Police began searching for the woman after her carer reported that she had gone missing. One of her neighbors noticed that her cat, Piran, kept meowing in the corner of a large maize field near the elderly woman’s home.

The feline won’t stop; it was as if he was trying to bring attention to the area.

As it turns out, his owner was there. Tamar Longmuir, 38, her neighbor, followed the cat’s lead and confirmed that he was, indeed, “telling” people that his mom was there.

The cat was going back and forth in the gateway and kept meowing, so Longmuir decided to go and search the maize field.

Authorities said the woman had fallen about 70-foot down a steep embankment to a ravine. Since the terrain was uneven and incredibly difficult to access, Longmuir had to shout downhill to check if her neighbor was fine.

At first, it was Longmuir’s cows that responded to her calls until she heard the woman’s voice.

“Just as I was going to go off the path and start going through the crop, I heard a very faint response to my calling. I then quickly realized my neighbor was dwn the 70-foot ravine,” she said.

The poor woman had gone through the barbed wire and was lying in the stream. Authorities estimate she had been there for hours. Thankfully, her pet Piran didn’t give up on her.

Water rescue specialists came in for assistance, and the woman was lifted back up to the field on a stretcher through a line rescue. She was then brought to the hospital by air ambulance.

She remains stable and “in good spirits.” According to a Facebook update by the police, the female is currently receiving care and is being well looked after.

“It’s a massive ‘well done’ to all the emergency services who worked together and to Piran,” said an unnamed neighbor to BBC News. “The outcome could have been a lot worse.”

According to Eleanor Richards, Bodmin Police community support officer, incidents like this are common in the area.

“Cornwall is a fairly rural county, so it is not unusual for us to get called to individuals who may need assistance and access is tricky,” she told Newsweek. “There is a lot of moorland and coastline to contend with so we work closely with our partner agencies and volunteer [organizations] to achieve the best result possible.”

However, it’s the first time that a cat has ever assisted them with their operations!

The woman and everyone who knew of the incident are all grateful to Piran for his significant contribution to the search.

“Without the cat waiting at the gate to that field, it could have been hours later that I or anyone else would have checked in there,” Longmuir said.

While cats are often viewed as aloof, this incident is a testament that cats are capable of feeling devotion toward their owners.

A 2019 study revealed that cats view their owners as a source of comfort and security. In fact, cats can develop attachments to their humans comparable to human babies and their caregivers.

“These findings are useful for debunking the myth that cats are standoffish and do not feel a strong connection to their owners,” according to NBC News.

Piran clearly shares a strong bond with his owner; she must be one good cat mom. Kudos to this heroic feline for saving the day!