Masha

In January 2015, in the Russian city of Obninsk, a long-haired stray cat named Masha became an international sensation for what residents described as an act of quiet heroism. Masha was a well-known and much-loved fixture of one apartment block, fed and looked after by the people who lived there. One bitterly cold winter's day she disappeared from her usual haunts, and when a resident went looking, they found her curled inside a cardboard box in a draughty stairwell — wrapped around an abandoned baby boy.

The infant, only a few months old, had been left in the box with some nappies and food, and in the freezing temperatures might not have survived long exposed. Masha had climbed in beside him and lain against his body, and neighbours reported that she was meowing loudly and persistently — behaviour they had never heard from her before — which is what drew their attention. When paramedics arrived and took the baby away, witnesses said Masha ran after the ambulance.

Doctors confirmed the child was healthy and unharmed, and credited the cat's body warmth and her cries with helping keep him safe until he was found. The story spread around the world as a small emblem of animal compassion, and Masha — already a neighbourhood favourite — became a local celebrity, her instinct to nurture having, quite possibly, saved a human life.