Woman Dealing With Miscarriages Explains How Mysterious Cat Eased Her Pain

A woman recovering from surgery and the trauma of several miscarriages has described the unique friendship she struck up with a mysterious cat that appeared on her doorstep in her time of need.

Martha Keith didn't consider herself to be a cat person, but that changed the day a large black cat with "golden eyes and the friendliest of faces" came into her life.

Pets can play an important role in our mental health and wellbeing. A 2019 study by researchers from Washington State University found that petting a dog or cat for just 10 minutes can help to reduce levels of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone.

Keith had been dealing with a lot of stress, as well as some significant personal trauma prior to meeting her mysterious feline visitor. She runs the personalized stationery brand Martha Brook, having quit a corporate job 10 years ago to go out on her own. What started as a business run from her bedroom has evolved into an award-winning global brand.

But Keith's personal challenges have gone way beyond the world of business. As a teenager, she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a disease that causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow outside the womb.

Endometriosis can lead to severe pelvic pain and also make it difficult to get pregnant. By the summer of 2022, Keith had gone through multiple rounds of IVF and had four traumatic miscarriages.

In order to gain a better understanding of what was going on inside her body, she then underwent a hysteroscopy, which involves inserting a narrow telescope into the womb.

"It ended up being more intensive than planned and was a bit of a shock to the system," Keith told Newsweek. It was during her recovery following the surgery that the cat paid her a visit. What started out as a random encounter quickly became more regular.

"At first, I figured he must belong to someone, even though he didn't have a collar, so I kept putting him back outside every evening," Keith said. "But like clockwork, he'd arrive the next morning through my window or meow loudly at my backdoor until I let him in!" A bond quickly developed between them.

"I know it sounds strange, but it felt like he just knew I needed some company. I was working from home for a few weeks following the operation, and he would sit with his head on my knee, curl up at my feet, purring away."

To Keith, it felt like the cat was there to look after her through what was a difficult time. "IVF and miscarriage are both extremely tough, and even though on the surface I was holding it together because I had to for my job, I wasn't in a great place," she explained.

"There was something incredibly comforting about his little purr, his cuddles and how he seemed to almost 'chat' to me with his meowing. I used to look forward to him arriving. It made me feel less alone, less stressed and just generally happier."

The visits continued sporadically over the months that followed. Keith said she last saw her black cat friend back in Easter of this year. By then, her situation had improved significantly.

"I managed to get pregnant again after a last-ditch IVF attempt, and he was coming less and less," she said. "It was Easter day, and he lay curled up on my bed with me in the late afternoon sunshine. It was one of those really special moments I won't forget."

That was the last time she saw her feline friend. In June, Keith welcomed what she describes as her "miracle daughter" into the world. Yet she still wondered what had become of the cat who helped her when she was at her lowest ebb.

So, she embarked on a mission to find out. The resulting journey was chronicled in a video posted to Keith's TikTok page Martha_Keith. At the time of writing it's been watched nearly 700,000 times. You can watch it here.

Going door-to-door along her street, she soon discovered her mystery cat's owners, an elderly couple who had rescued him from an animal shelter and christened him "Squidge."

"They said they always wondered where he kept going, but he always seemed to know when someone needed him," Keith said.

But Keith soon discovered there would be no emotional reunion with Squidge. No more cuddles or pets with the feline friend who had offered her unconditional love.

"Sadly, the week after he last came to see me, they had to put him down due to lymphoma," she said. "I was devastated, but weirdly deep down, I knew he had gone as he hadn't been back to see me."

Keith said Squidge helped her to realize that pets can provide real emotional support through tough times, because that's exactly what her black cat friend did.

"Squidge came to me for a reason," she said. "He was the emotional support I needed in a really hard time, and maybe he left when I no longer needed him. A truly magical black cat."

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