Ed Werdell, of Libertyville, Illinois couldn’t help but share a photo sent to him by his friend in Sarasota, Florida – it was just too unbelievable to keep to himself.
And we sure hope he got his friend’s permission because it’s been shared over 114,000 times since October 3!
Gator greeting
In place of the normal “Florida man” people so enjoy deriding was alligator. And yes, he was doing something stupid (much like the “Florida man” people so enjoy deriding).
Apparently, there are 1.3 million alligators in the state of Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That makes run-in’s with the creatures fairly common.
Then again, it’s different when one shows up at your front door.
Werdell posted the photo with the caption:
“We have friends in Sarasota FL that heard noise at their front door. Take a look at what they found!!! Wow!”
But the intruding alligator wasn’t the animal people were most taken with – it was the cat on the other side of the door that really impressed people.
Loyal protector
Most people think of dogs as guardians of the home when it comes to pets, but this cat was not about to let its family be intimidated.
Apparently, it sauntered right on up to the door and just stared at the alligator as if to say “oh heck no, buddy.”
Many commenters praised the cat – and posited that this might be a typical skillset of cats from that neck of the woods.
“That is definitely a FLORIDA cat!”
The alligator, on the other hand, looks pretty convinced it’s at the right house. In fact, it looks like it’s pretty intent on getting in! Just look at it climb the door:
It’s too early for Halloween, so it’s not a trick-or-treater.
We can only assume since the photo was shared in humor that everyone in the home is still safe (though we’d be surprised if residents just let that gator mosey away since it doesn’t exactly make a charming addition to the neighborhood).
Believe it or not, this isn’t the only cat that’s fended off an alligator with a death stare at the front door. In 2016, TWO Houston cats encountered an alligator roaming a neighborhood – one on the inside and the other on the outside of the door.
Allison Tonkin filmed a video of the moment an alligator came up to her front door.
“I thought it was awesome,” Tonkin said. “I guess I should have been a bit more scared. I thought it was cool.”
Can this be real?
What’s curious is that the majority of newspapers and magazines that covered the “story” identified Werdell as the owner of the alligator-d home. But he simply shared the photo taken by “friends.”
Journalists are clearly trying to reach out to him for more information but it appears their requests have gone unanswered.
Luckily, clever commenters have made some suggestions:
Could the photo be fake? We’re just not sure yet.
No one seems to have stepped forward to say it happened at their home, which is curious considering how viral the photo has gone.
Then again, maybe they just don’t want any more strangers at their front door!
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