An outdoorsy cat meets a lost kitten and teaches him everything.

An outdoorsy cat meets a lost kitten and teaches him everything.

Atlas, a cat from Hawaii, was meowing and whining at the door of his home on a damp January night. Sam Christie, the cat’s owner, assumed there was a stray nearby, as Atlas did whenever he smelled another cat.

“It was wet, and the roads were briefly flooded,” Christie told The Dodo. “I thought I heard a cat meowing outside, so I put on my shoes and grabbed a flashlight, crossed the street, and started looking.”

Atlas had been right all along. Christie discovered a soaked little cat, about 7 weeks old, in a field of tall, dense grass.

Christie said, “I grabbed her, and she just let me take her right away, without hissing or anything.” “She seemed thrilled to be with someone else.” So I just took her across the street to my house and started cleaning her up.”

Christie was initially leery of having a kitten around, even though Atlas had warned her.

“I just brought him into the house and introduced him to Atlas, who asked me what he was,” remarked Christie.

But it didn’t take long for Atlas to approach the kitten, whom he named Nell, and adopt her as his own.

After all, Atlas had been homeless himself, so he could understand Nell’s plight. According to Christie, Atlas’ former owner donated Atlas, along with his brother and mother, to the Hawaii Island Humane Society when Atlas was just three weeks old.

Christie, director of the Hawaii Wildlife Center, came to the shelter looking for a certain type of cat – one she could harness and take on a field trip. Atlas seemed a perfect fit for the role.

“I wanted an adventurous cat that could go out on a leash and enjoy the great outdoors with me, without contributing to the huge problem of stray cats killing billions of species each year,” Christie remarked. “I chose [Atlas] for his courage and outspokenness,” the narrator explained.

And Christie was right about Atlas: he took to the collar and leash right away, and he loved exploring the outside world.

“He was a natural,” Christie adds, “and he was thrilled to experience the great outdoors.” “He gets all excited and wants to go when he wears the harness.” This is a fantastic opportunity for him.”