As written by our Cat Adoption Officer Matt Pearson.

As I listen in, from the kitchen, to Enrique Iglesias’s seminal hit song Hero I think to myself – that’s a blast from the past.

With my curiosity piqued, I walk through to the living room and see that it’s being used to advertise a new collection of superhero films showing on the TV. My cat Poppy looks up from eating her chicken and, as she demolishes and swallows the last morsels in seconds, I wonder to myself about what would happen if the greatest superhero characters had been based on cats.

Now, all the best and most popular superheroes in the comic books either gain their superpowers or are descended from ancient gods. Spider-Man© gets bitten by a radioactive spider, but I wonder what would have happened if Mr Tibbles, the local stray, had eaten said spider instead. I guess that’s one cat that would be hard to ‘Trap, Neuter and Return’! Or what if a moggie had wielded a hammer like Thor©? I know I would probably not withhold their food if that happened… And last but not least, what would it be like if cats ‘Hulk©’ed out’ when they got angry? Green cats that smash is both awesome and scary in equal measures, and I guess no dog would be messing with them in that particular scenario.

So, what sort of cat-based heroes do we get? Black Panther© is very agile, and while he looks darn cool, he depends on the technology of his suit and the plant he eats to give him strength. Cats eating grass? Well, we all know how that ends.

By far the best superhero feline is Streaky©. Belonging to Supergirl©, this cat stumbled across some discarded radioactive material. First of all, that’s just careless cat ownership, but what it created was a superfast, super-smart, flying cat. Miaowzers!

Then there is Catwoman©, who wears a catsuit and is a high-grade thief. To me, she is a true cat lady: “I dress like a cat, live with cats and am, actually, the embodiment of ‘cat’!”

I guess we won’t get the cat superhero of our dreams just yet, but as I think of what a hero embodies, I think they are there when you need them and are a shoulder to cry on, someone who keeps you calm. A friend and confidant, and someone who doesn’t judge you for being you.

It then dawns on me that my own cat is all of those things, and as my eyes meet Poppy’s she slow-blinks at me and I return the gesture of friendship… and then she vomits up all the chicken she just ate!