Mom Takes Eye Off Baby for '1 Second,' Not Ready for What Attacks
A mom thought she was filming a cute video of her twins toddling around the garden, until an unexpected intervention changed everything.
Lenore Coulter, from Auckland in New Zealand, could never have predicted what she would end up capturing on camera when she picked up her phone to film twins Te Aokapurangi and Waimirirangi, who were 11 months old at the time.
"That day, the girls had been having a snack while I did some gardening. I had finished, so I let them out to play," Coulter told Newsweek. "I decided to film them because they had only just learned to walk."
What happened next came in the blink of an eye. Writing in a caption accompanying the Instagram video that documented what unfolded, Coulter said she took her eye off Waimirirangi for "1 second." That was enough time for a surprise guest to make their presence felt.
"I was trying to keep both of them on the screen, but I was more focused on Te Aokapurangi, the twin that's walking away, because she was on the move," Coulter said. "Out of nowhere, I saw Waimirirangi falling and then saw that the cat was the reason."
In the clip, the feline can be seen seemingly wrestling the young toddler to the ground with no apparent provocation.
Having a pet is a huge responsibility, but it also carries some often-overlooked benefits. Having a cat, for example, has been shown to be beneficial to your mental health.
A 2015 study published in the journal Anthrozoos saw cat owners and other adults answer a questionnaire to assess their psychological health. Based on the responses given, cat owners were found to be happier, more confident and less nervous than those without pets. The responses also indicated that they slept better; were more focused on day-to-day tasks; and problem-solved more efficiently.
This particular cat didn't seem to be doing much to aid Coulter's mental health, if the clip posted to her Instagram @life_as_lenore was anything to go by. In fact, Coulter revealed a further twist in this particular tale.
"It's not actually our cat," Coulter said. "The cat belongs to a house across the road, but he roams in and out of everyone's houses; he's not shy he comes into the house, too."
Though the feline's actions caught her off-guard, Coulter was able to deal with the situation quickly, and no real harm was done. "Once I realized, I dropped the phone and ran to her," she said. "She cried a little, but I think she was more startled than anything."
As for why the feline did it, Coulter has a pretty good idea. "I assumed the cat was getting revenge for the day before when Te Aokapurangi had been rag-dolling him. But, after reading thousands of comments on the video, I think he might have been trying to pick her up," she said.
Ultimately, Coulter was able to see the funny side of it all. While she has been dismayed to see some casting aspersions about her parenting in the comments, she said she hopes the majority of viewers just see the clip in the lighthearted manner it was intended.
"I want people to know that life is short, be present and enjoy every moment," Coulter said.
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