Diana Lorena Álvarez was at work at the time of the incident. Her 1-year-old son Samuel was with her in a small crèche provided by Ms Álvarez’s employer. It was early morning and Samuel slept soundly while his mother worked.
Thinking nothing of the silence of the crèche, Álvarez continued with her chores and became engrossed in her work. But all too quickly, a series of events was unfolding, leading to what could have been a harrowing outcome.
Series of events
Samuel was not sleeping. In fact, he had managed to free himself from his cot. Under the casual gaze of Gatubela, the Siamese, the boy made his way on all fours to the doorway of the crèche. But beyond the door was a staircase with a steep drop of 12 steps.
In the video posted online, we watch Samuel inch ever closer to the door, the cat watching on, seemingly unwilling to stop the inevitable. And all the while Álvarez is oblivious to the impending tragedy.
The toddler reaches for the door. He swings the door open, stopping for a moment before edging through the doorway and ever closer to the steps. In seconds, Gatubela reacts. He leaps from his perch and, within the blink of an eye, climbs onto the boy’s back. He then throws himself in front of the toddler.
Samuel’s curiosity is strong, though, and there begins a battle of wills. The cat stretches out his arms to stop the boy from moving any closer to what could have been his death. Gatubela's persistence pays off. Samuel backs down and goes no further.
Lifesaver
Just moments later, Álvarez returns to the crèche to check on her son and notices he has somehow freed himself from safety. Intrigued about the method by which Samuel had escaped his crib, Álvarez reviews the security camera footage. It is then that she realises how close she had come to losing her son.
Álvarez hails her cat, which she adopted from Cat Adoption in Bogota (GABA), a hero and a lifesaver. And we couldn't agree more!
