In war-torn Afghanistan, an injured bengal-stripped cat found a friend just in time.
Sgt. Jesse Knott saw the kitty limping around the edges of a concrete barrier meant to protect the base from mortar attacks. A trail of fresh blood followed the feline. Sgt. Knott knew if he didn’t intervene, the cat would not make it, so he lured the cat into his office with a piece of delicious smelling steak.
Sgt. Knott nursed the cat back to health and named his new friend Koshka (Russian for cat). The favor however was soon returned, as Sgt. Knott claims this four-legged friend saved his life just a handful of months later. ”Koshka gave a lot of love back to me.”
Fortunately, Sgt. Knott still had Koshka when his two close friends were killed in a suicide attack. Sgt. Knott felt that if he hadn’t had Koshka to get him through the darkest days of his deployment, he likely would have committed suicide. ”I lost all hope… It was my darkest time and he’s what got me through it. Just the bit of compassion and love that cat showed me is what it took to remind me to stay strong.”
Normally, soldiers are not allowed to keep pets while on duty, but an exception was made for Sgt. Knott after the sudden and violent loss of his two friends.
Sgt. Knott is now back in the US and so is Koshka, thanks to Knott’s parents who paid $3,000 to fly their son’s lifesaving furry angel home!
