Faith: The Church Cat Who Shielded Her Kitten Through the Blitz
Days before a bomb destroyed her London church, a cat named Faith moved her kitten to a basement recess and refused to leave. Both survived.
Faith was a stray taken in around 1936 at St. Augustine's church, near St. Paul's Cathedral in London, by the rector, Father Henry Ross. A few years later, she seemed to sense a danger no one else could.
A mother's stubborn instinct
In late summer 1940, Faith had a kitten named Panda. Again and again, she carried him down to a sheltered recess in the basement. Each time Father Ross carried the kitten back upstairs, Faith brought him right back down, insisting he stay in that one safe corner.
The night the church fell
On September 9, 1940, during the German bombing of London, an air raid destroyed much of the church. Faith and Panda were found alive, sheltering together in the very recess she had chosen, amid the rubble and singed sheet music.
A medal made just for her
Because she was a civilian animal, Faith was not eligible for the military honors given to service animals. Instead, the founder of the PDSA had a special silver medal made just for her, to mark the quiet courage of a church cat who somehow knew.
Faith could not read a map of the war, but she trusted her instincts and protected the one she loved. That is a kind of quiet bravery worth remembering.
✓ This is a true story. Sources:
🐾 Looking for a name with this kind of heart?