A kindly cat helped her three-year-old owner overcome his nerves on his first day at nursery by walking him to the school gates.
William Dutton suffers from anxiety, so he was dreading his first day at Maple tree Lower School in Sandy, Bedfordshire, in April 2014.
William's mum Victoria said his nerves were so bad that he was reluctant to even put on his shoes, but all that changed after a kind gesture from their pet cat Milly Moo.
"Milly Moo came over and sat with him while he tied his shoes - I could just see the fear drain away," Victoria said.
"It was absolutely amazing, you could just see that she took his mind off where we were going and all the new people and just focus on her and his shoes."
But that wasn't the end of Milly Moo's support. The concerned moggy decided to take it upon herself to accompany William and his mum on their walk to school, to ensure his anxiety didn't return.
Now every lunchtime without fail, Milly Moo trots alongside Victoria and William on the 13 minute walk to school.
Even more astonishingly, the Millie Moo seems to be able to sense when it is time to collect William. Come 3.30pm she'll be waiting to accompany Victoria back to the school, to bring her favourite boy safely home.
Victoria is currently on maternity leave after giving birth to her second child, six-month-old Amber.
She says that Milly and William's special bond stretches back to before he was even born, as while she was pregnant with William, Milly used to gently stroke her bump with her paw, in what Victoria describes as a 'protective' gesture.
Milly Moo has been shortlisted in the Most Incredible Story category of Cats Protection's National Cat Awards, courtesy of sponsor PURINA®. The winner will be selected on August 7 by cat-lover and Downton Abbey star Paul Copley.
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