Lifestyle Pets Bandit the Hero Cat Helps Stop an Armed Robbery Attempt in Mississippi: 'This Is a Guard Cat' Bandit, a 20-pound calico cat, alerted her owner to an attempted break-in at their home in July By Tommy McArdle Tommy McArdle Twitter Tommy McArdle is a digital news writer at PEOPLE covering stories across all of the brand's verticals. Prior to joining PEOPLE, Tommy covered the entertainment industry at Looper and sports at The Sporting News and Boston.com. He graduated from Emerson College in 2019. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 3, 2022 02:51 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Thomas Wells/Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP A house cat in Mississippi may have helped save her owner's life by alerting him to an attempted break-in at their home. On July 25, Fred Everitt of Belden, Mississippi, heard his 20-pound calico cat Bandit making "loud guttural meows in the kitchen" sometime between 2:30 and 3 a.m. before she jumped onto his bed and scratched at him, according to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Everitt, 68, told the Daily Journal that he quickly grew alarmed because the cat "had never done that before." "I went, 'What in the world is wrong with you?'" Everitt told the Daily Journal. Missing Minnesota Lab Mix Found Safe After Almost a Month Lost in the Wilderness When Everitt left his bedroom to figure out what Bandit wanted and turned on the lights in his kitchen, he saw two men outside his home attempting to open a back door — one armed with a handgun and one trying to pry Everitt's door open with a crowbar, according to the Daily Journal. Everitt's appearance in his kitchen, prompted by Bandit, reportedly scared the men away, the cat owner told the Daily Journal. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "It did not turn into a confrontational situation, thank goodness," Everitt told the paper. "But I think it's only because of the cat." "You hear of guard dogs," he added. "This is a guard cat." Everitt told the Daily Journal that he adopted Bandit from the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society in Tulepo, Mississippi, in 2018 after he asked the shelter about available kittens while writing the organization a donation check. In response, the shelter introduced him to Bandit. Denver Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Ballot Measure to Lift City's 30-Year-Old Pit Bull Ban Everitt told the Daily Journal that this recent incident shows how rescue pets can save their owners too. "I want to let people know that you not only save a life when you adopt a pet or rescue one," Everitt told the Daily Journal. "The tides could be turned. You never know when you save an animal if they're going to save you."