This 'handsome cat' from a local hostel helps lost tourists find their way down the mountains. Photo / Imgur, sc4s2cg
This 'handsome cat' from a local hostel helps lost tourists find their way down the mountains. Photo / Imgur, sc4s2cg
This feline resident of a Swiss hostel has an important job to do.
Forget the St Bernard — it turns out that the best way for a lost traveller to get down a mountain in Switzerland is by following a local cat.
A Hungarian man who became disorientated while exploring the mountains near the town of Gimmelwald has revealed how he only found his way back to his hostel after happening across and black and white moggy on the hillside.
After following the animal for a short while, they reached the path that would take him straight back down the mountain into the valley.
The man has since shared the details of the trip, as well as a video of the cat leading the way, on Reddit.
The Redditor, who calls himself sc4s2cg, said: "Gimmelwald is a tiny, tiny stunningly beautiful village [and ] I actually got "lost" in the surrounding mountains.
"It was the end of ski season when I got to [the alpine village of] Lauterbrunnen, so the lifts weren't working and some of the trails were closed.
Another Redditor described the cat as 'super friendly and cool'. Photo / Imgur, VasyaK
"So I followed a roundabout trail up the mountain, and then followed those ski lifts further, eventually getting to the top, where I decided to follow a train track into the middle of a totally empty town [called] Gimmelwald."
He continued: "I was checking my map to see how I could get back to the hostel, and the only official way down was through a trail that was closed.
"That's how I met that handsome cat, who noticed me as I was eating a snack and resting my sprained ankle.
"As soon as I got up she started guiding me along some path."
He added: "She kept looking at me to follow and led me straight to the path that would take me back down to the valley."
Other travellers shared photos they had taken of their encounters with the helpful feline. Photo / Imgur, starspace1
After posting the pictures and video of his encounter online, other tourists who had visited the region shared similar photos of their own experiences with the friendly cat.
It turned out that the moggy was owned by a couple who run a nearby hostel and it regularly joined travellers on their trips around the mountainside.
