Hero cat in Mississippi helped prevent a robbery, possibly even saved a man's life

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Cats are known to bring comfort.

Companionship.

Kindness. 

(Well, not always the latter, if you really know cats.)

But few pet cats — as particular, finicky and independent as many of them can be — can also be branded a "hero" for helping to prevent a house robbery and for possibly even saving a life. 

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A man in Belden, Mississippi, reported that his cat, Bandit, did all of this and perhaps more last month.

Bandit is a 20-pound (9.1-kilogram) calico cat. 

She lives with her owner Fred Everitt, 68, a retired oral and maxillofacial surgeon, in the Tupelo suburb of Belden. 

When at least two people tried to break into the family's home last week, the cat did everything she could to alert Everitt to the danger, he told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, as the AP reported.

The cat apparently raced into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed.

"You hear of guard dogs," said Everitt.

"This is a guard cat."

The attempted crime occurred sometime between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. on July 25, Everitt said. 

A retiree's cat — looking very much like the one shown here — reportedly helped ward off two would-be robbers in Belden, Mississippi, last month.

First, Bandit’s guttural meowing in the kitchen awakened Everitt.

Then, the cat apparently raced into his bedroom, jumped onto the bed and began pulling the comforter off Everett and clawing at his arms. 

Everitt knew that something had to be very wrong indeed.

He said he thought, "What in the world is wrong with you?’"

"She had never done that before," Everitt said, as the Daily Journal and the AP reported.

He said he thought, "What in the world is wrong with you?’"

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Everitt related that he got up, put on his robe, walked down the hall to investigate.

When he turned on a light, he saw two young men standing outside his back door. 

"I think it's only because of the cat," said Everitt of Belden, Mississippi, that the situation at his back door did not turn "confrontational." (iStock)

One had a handgun — while the other was using a crowbar to try to pry the back door of his house open, he said.

Everitt said by the time he retrieved a handgun of his own and returned to the kitchen, the would-be intruders had fled already. 

Everitt did not call the police, he told the publication.

He said the situation could have been much different without Bandit.

While he thought he was saving her life — and possibly he did — it seems that she, in turn, now may have helped save his. 

"It did not turn into a confrontational situation, thank goodness," Everitt said.

"But I think it’s only because of the cat," he told the publication.

Everitt adopted his cat Bandit from the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society four years ago.

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While he thought he was saving her life — and possibly he did — it seems that she, in turn, now may have helped save his. 

The Tupelo Lee Humane Society is a no-kill shelter. 

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On its website, it states that its mission is to promote humane treatment, prevent cruelty, provide education and end pet overpopulation.

The next time anyone thinks of cats as troublesome, aloof or particular — remember that they can be guardians, too. 

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.