In 2017, Shon Griffin was 5 years old and frequently visited his aunts, Kris Papiernik and Kia Griffin, who had been rescuing and caring for stray cats for years in Philadelphia. But Shon didn’t go to see them with toys: he arrived dressed as a superhero.
The two women cared for a colony of stray cats they called Kolony Kats. Among them was Bug, a particularly wary cat who had spent two years avoiding any contact with humans. They hadn’t managed to trap him to vaccinate and neuter him.
Until Shon stepped in.
His aunts had realized that the boy had a special way with cats, so they decided to let him help. Bug immediately approached Shon, rubbed against his legs and, for the first time, let someone pet him.
From that moment on, Shon became “Catman”. He regularly visited his aunts and the colony dressed in his superhero costumes, while helping feed and care for the cats. For Shon, it wasn’t just about playing dress-up: he felt that by helping the cats, he was doing something a superhero would do. That’s why he put on his costume before heading out to care for them, convinced that he could also be a hero to those animals who needed help.
What was most surprising was that even the most wary animals seemed comfortable with him. “It’s incredible to see these cats who wouldn’t even let us touch them, but who instead come right up to him”, Kris said. “He must have some kind of magical effect on cats”.