Shon Griffin spends a lot of his free time patrolling the streets of Philadelphia just like any comic book superhero, but he uses his powers to help… cats. The young boy is blessed with an ability to charm cats according to his Aunt Kris Papiernik.
Griffin’s aunt, who has been a champion to homeless cats by rescuing and fostering them for many years, also spends her time taking care of the local feline group “Kolony Kats” and young Shon has taken a liking to them.
The cats apparently sense this and have taken a liking to him too. There are cases where even the most elusive and aggressive cats warm up to Griffin right away. This all started when “Bug”, a Kolony Kat, refused to be neutered and get shots. When Griffin was called in to help, Bug relaxed right away in the little man’s hands and allowed the procedures.
It took years for Aunt Kris and her partner Kia trying to get Bug to undergo the procedure. Griffin was able to do it on his first try.
From this point on, Griffin, in his superhero costume, would help his aunt rescuing, feeding, and helping homeless cats. The cats are drawn to him like a fictional fat orange cat to lasagne.
This made it easy for Aunt Kris to take care of feral cats. And with Griffin’s help, they make rounds filling food bowls and clean water. They also make sure that all the cats are vaccinated, spayed, and ear tipped.
“His favorite thing to do is give them treats. He knows how to dish out the dry food, fill up the water bowls without any directions from us,” Papiernik said.
Griffin gives the feral cats love and they love him back. There are now almost 45 members of Kolony Kats based in at least four different locations around the city. His Aunt calls him a superhero, complete with his super powers and caped crusader costume. He is now known affectionately as “Catman.”
Catman is without a doubt, a real superhero.
