Meet Catman: an adorable six-year-old superhero who’s on a mission to save as many stray cats as he can!
Catman, aka Shon Griffin, started helping the cats in his Philadelphia neighborhood when he was three years old. His aunts, Kris and Kia, run Kolony Kats, a stray cat rescue. The two women feed around 50 cats that live Northeast Philadelphia. These cats hang out at gas stations, parks, and in Kris and Kia’s backyard. The two women also spay and neuter the cats to help control the stray cat population. They’re also raising money to build a shelter for all of these sweet cats.
While Shon has always loved cats, his aunts were hesitant at first to take him out with them. But it turned out, they had nothing to worry about:
“The first time he wanted to go out with us, we were hesitant, because feral cats are shy and easily scared and he was so little and rambunctious,” Kris told PEOPLE. “But the cats really took to him, especially one named Bug that had eluded us for awhile.”
“As soon as Shon showed up, that cat came right over and started rubbing against his legs,” Kia said. “This was a cat that we couldn’t even look at for two years without him running away from us. Because of Shon, we were finally able to take Bug to get neutered, then bring him back to his little colony. Shon simply has a magic touch with cats.”
Like any good superhero, Shon has signature moves that he employs when he’s out on missions.
His favorite move is the “superpower scratch.” This move consists of a gentle scratch under the cat’s chin. The cats love it!
Shon also has his own superhero catchphrase. It’s a simple phrase, but it packs a powerful punch: “Be kind to cats.”
Shon likes to switch up his superhero costumes. Some days, he goes out dressed in a classic Superman suit. On other cat feeding trips, he chooses to pay homage to Spiderman.
Shon has also added a new costume to his collection: Black Panther. The cats think he’s one of them when he’s wearing the costume!
Shon doesn’t even let major holidays like Halloween stop him from caring for his neighborhood’s cats! He brought cat treats with him while he was trick-or-treating, and he handed them out to all the cats he saw.
Shon’s aunts are very proud of their little nephew.
“He has a compassionate heart and it’s going to take him places,” says Kia.
Shon is a little superhero with a very big heart. This sweet boy is doing an amazing job looking after his neighborhood’s cats!
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