Nancy Strand lives in a cabin in the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska.
She and her chinchilla Persian cat, Feral, lived in the temperate Alaskan rainforest.
Their tiny cabin had a beach for the front yard with a backyard of verdant foliage.
One day, Strand noticed a stray moving slowing towards her home. He was a large,
ragged-looking cat with a torn ear. Feral, who had always been queen of the manor,
did not take well to this intruder, but Strand reminded Feral that she too was once
homeless, cold and hungry. Feral relented and KittyBaby joined his new family.
Marauding bears were a problem in her area. One evening, Strand prepared to go outside;
however, KittyBaby pushed her away from the door. He pressed hard against her leg,
attempting to guide her away from the door. The next morning, the surprised owner
discovered that a bear had turned over and ransacked her garbage can during the
night. Strand realized that her new family member was protecting her from bears.
On many occasions, if the feline sensed that a bear was near, he would stand between her and the cat flap on the
door and "growl as if he were a big dog!"
When Strand came home from her night job, KittyBaby would meet her at the road leading
up to her cabin only if there were no bears around. If KittyBaby was not at her
post, Strand would wait in her car assuming that a bear was nearby. Soon, the feline
would appear and lead Strand safely home. KittyBaby kept her new owner safe from
bears the entire summer.