Ever heard of the phrase “raining cats and dogs”? Well, a bizarre incident which took place in China recently has brought that expression to a whole new literal level.
One Sunday evening, Gao Fenghua, an elderly man, was casually walking his dog in the neighbourhood, when all of a sudden, a cat crashed onto his head, leaving him unconscious.
A nearby CCTV footage captured the wacky incident, which took place on 12 July in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province.
The footage shows Mr Gao taking a leisurely stroll along the pavement while his dog, a golden retriever in protective boots, was walking slightly ahead of him.
Out of nowhere, cat-astrophe strikes as a black and white feline unexpectedly lands on his head like how Mr Bean fell from the sky in a beam of light – only minus the dramatic light effect.
The cat then gets up and scurries for safety while Mr Gao was left unconscious on the ground.
It may have been ‘raining cat’, but let’s not forget the dog in the picture as well. Moments after the outlandish (pun not intended) incident, Mr Gao’s dog – who was busy sniffing at something by the grass at the time its master was literally struck by a cat – wanders back to its then knocked-out owner and wonders ‘what the bark’ just happened.
The confused doggo then uses its canine senses and spots the guilty moggie cowering near the entrance of a building before proceeding to corner it.
In the meantime, passers-by are seen crowding around Mr Gao’s motionless body.
Watch the whole incident here:
Mr Gao was reportedly hospitalised for 23 days. He was discharged last week, and is required to wear a neck brace and undergo physiotherapy treatment.
Now, bet you’re wondering about the cat. Well, according to Mr Gao’s son, Gao Zhengzhong, the notorious feline belongs to their neighbour.
The neighbour, who was identified as Mr Yu, said that the cat apparently fell off his apartment balcony.
He claimed that he had no knowledge of it until his neighbours mentioned about it.
“I came back home and some neighbours told me that my cat had fallen from my balcony,” said Mr Yu, as cited by Daily Star.
“I watched the CCTV footage and couldn’t believe it until the police called me to claim my cat.”
Mr Gao’s family and Mr Yu are reportedly trying to reach an agreement on compensation for the incident.
Let’s hope things end on a paw-sitive note for everyone – including the pets involved.
