Amazing cat stories

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Lions Rescue, Guard Beaten Ethiopian Girl By ANTHONY MITCHELL, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 21, 8:37 PM ET AP Photo: Map shows area in Ethiopia where lion saved a girl from kidnappers. (AP Graphic)   ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday. The girl, missing for a week, had been taken by seven men who wanted to force her to marry one of them, said Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo, speaking by telephone from the provincial capital of Bita Genet, about 350 miles southwest of Addis Ababa.  She was beaten repeatedly before she was found June 9 by police and relatives on the outskirts of Bita Genet, Wondimu said. She had been guarded by the lions for about half a day, he said. "They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," Wondimu said.  If the lions had not come to her rescue, then it could have been much worse. Often these young girls are raped and severely beaten to force them to accept the marriage."  Tilahun Kassa, a local government official who corroborated Wondimu's version of the events, said one of the men had wanted to marry the girl against her wishes.  "Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle, because normally the lions would attack people," Wondimu said. Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert with the rural development ministry, said the girl may have survived because she was crying from the trauma of her attack.  "A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub, which in turn could explain why they didn't eat her," Williams said. Ethiopia's lions, famous for their large black manes, are the country's national symbol and adorn statues and the local currency. Despite a recent crackdown, Hunters also kill the animals for their skins, which can fetch $1,000. Williams estimates that only 1,000 Ethiopian lions remain in the wild. The girl, the youngest of four siblings, was "shocked and terrified" after her abduction and had to be treated for the cuts from her beatings.  Police had caught four of the abductors and three were still at large.  Kidnapping young girls has long been part of the marriage custom in Ethiopia. The United Nations estimates that more than 70 percent of marriages in Ethiopia are by abduction, practiced in rural areas where most of the country's 71 million people live. (submitted by Erin Harris GlitzQueen) Luna's Legacy I adopted a siamese cat in 1995. I named him Luna and he became my constant buddy. He would follow me everywhere. If I was watching tv he was on the couch with me, if I was taking a shower he was sitting on the toilet waiting for me to get out. He would sleep under the covers with me every night. I know it sounds stupid but when I had problems I would just cuddle with him and it seemed to make everything all better. He was my constant thing in life that I knew I could depend on.   I moved into my own apartment in August 2004 and then in January I realized he was very skinny. The vet diagnosed him with cancer. It was too far along to treat it but he didn't seem to be in any pain so I couldn't put him down yet. I knew it was going to be the hardest thing I ever had to do, he was my best friend. He seemed fine until April when he started to wheeze and I knew it was time. It was 11 pm when I took him for an emergency euth. I buried him the next day at my grandmothers where we had spent 10 years together, under a bleeding heart bush. Later that day I bought a bracelet with a heart charm and had it engraved with "Luna 4-9-05"   I went to the humane society two days later to look at dogs, even though I had no intention of adopting another pet so soon. I had to walk past the cat cages to get to the dog kennel and this little calico looked me in the eyes and meowed. I thought she was cute but kept walking. I went to visit my gramma after and told her about what the cat did. When she went back with me later that day to look at a dog I thought she would like, the same cat reached out and hit me with her paw when we walked by. I stopped and petted her and told my gramma this was the cat I was telling her about.   Out of curiosity I looked at her card to see what her name was. I grabbed my gramma's arm and stood there in kind of a shock when it said that cat's name was Luna. I couldn't believe it... needless to say she came home with me that day. It was like some sort of sign or something, I think... we've settled in nicely together and I renamed her Mushu. The weird thing is that she does a lot of the same things Luna did- from following me everywhere to being right there waiting for me to get out of the shower. It makes me sad and I still cry sometimes when she really reminds me of him. I miss Luna and always will but I think that Mushu was supposed to find me.   I guess this isn't that interesting or amazing to you but may be very coincidental. But to me, this is amazing. Mushu won't take the place of Luna but maybe just carry on his story.   Amazing Cat Stories--page 1 Amazing Cat Stories--page 2