Blind Dog Relies on "Hero Cat" to Guide Him

The fight between cats and dogs is so epic, it has spawned countless office debates, ruined many a first date and launched a three-series movie franchise featuring the voice of Michael Clarke Duncan. But sometimes, opposites attract. In a heartwarming new story, a woman in Vermont has shared that her blind dog is helped around the house by her cat. Read on to learn more about their purr-fect friendship, and to hear more heartwarming stories of cats and dogs helping one another.

So why does this blind dog need a "hero cat"? "A blind dog has found a best friend who will care for his every need and help him navigate the world without sight," reports the Mirror. "Blaze the German shepherd cross became blind in 2020, but thankfully Satin the cat has learnt to 'talk' to him at home. Robin Wagner, 28, adopted Blaze in 2019 and the first check-up revealed he had problems with his vision. Vets diagnosed the rescue pup as blind in one eye and warned he had lens issues in the other that would deteriorate over time. But guide cat Satin took it all in her stride and, after getting used to being stood on by her bigger flatmate, the pair became inseparable." Keep reading to see what Satin does to help.

Wagner, a preschool teacher from Burlington, Vermont, told the Mirror: "Blaze going blind caused a huge regression in his social anxiety. He became very anxious and reactive. We had to do a lot of work with trainers to help him gain his confidence back." Satin helped. "Both the cat and the dog like to hang out in our bed with us. When Blaze would jump up, Satin would go barrelling out of the room before he stomped on her. But over time, we noticed Satin staying in her spot and giving Blaze a nice loud meow. He'd stop himself, and walk around her. Every time he'd be walking towards her, she would meow. She would meow and he would stop and redirect himself."

Satin isn't the only cat who comes to the rescue. Michaella Franlin in Idaho told Idaho News 6 that a strange dog attacked her dog in the garage."It just kind of looked at me and I'm looking around like, where is the owner of this dog?" Franklin said. "Then it saw my dog and it ran into my garage, and my dog kind of hunkered down for safety and it just mauled her." It wasn't until her cat ran out and distracted the assailant that her dog became free. "Bailey is alive today because of my cat, Mocha, without a doubt," Franklin said.

Newsweek reported about a viral video you may have seen. "In the video, a Yorkshire terrier-type dog leads a tiny kitten down a driveway in the rain. The dog watches the kitten carefully as it walks through a puddle and clambers onto the doorstep, before lifting the small cat over the door frame and into the home. The rescue took place in 2019 and was reported on at the time by T&T media, which said that the dog's owner, Monica Burks, 48, went outside to see where her three-year-old dog, Hazel, was, after not returning from her 'restroom' break."

To better your chances of a cat and dog cohabitating peacefully, follow this advice from expert Mikkel Becker: "Dogs who are exposed to cats during their primary socialization period, from about two to nine weeks of age, are more likely to be relaxed around cats in their adult life. Breeds with a lower occurrence of predatory behavior may also be less likely to chase after a cat. Keep in mind, though, that while one dog may be fine with a cat, two or more dogs living under the same roof may feed off of each other, creating an increased chance of multiple canines chasing, seriously injuring or killing the cat," he told the Today Show.