What a hero!
Have you heard of Buddy the cat? Buddy’s story has a little bit of everything: narrowly avoiding death, making the ultimate comeback and sharing his miracle to save others.
Once upon a time, Buddy was just your average neighborhood feline. The Philly street cat would traipse around the block winning hearts wherever he’d roam. Until one day, a couple of teenage boys sicced their two dogs on the poor guy. A surveillance camera caught the brutal attack and eventually a man came to the rescue.
From there, things looked bleak. Buddy was already bleeding internally and had a heart rate nearly twice what it should have been by the time he reached the BluePearl emergency veterinary facility. The vets didn’t know if he’d make it through.
Don’t worry, this story has a happy ending.
The video has since been taken down due to its graphic content, but not before going viral. It wasn’t long before the Pennsylvania SPCA received a flood of inquiries, messages and donations of money and cat treats. And not just from Philadelphia, or the United States, for that matter. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Buddy receiving donations from Europe, Asia and Australia. People around the globe were rooting for his recovery.
Not only did Buddy pull through, he received a whopping $100,000. PSPCA spokeswoman Gillian Kocher told the Inquirer “this is the biggest outpouring of support we have had for a single animal in the last decade. There is nothing that comes close to it.”
With all that money left over, the PSPCA was able to create a Buddy fund to help care for other abused animals, including medical care and prosecuting their offenders (thankfully, Buddy’s attackers ended up turning themselves in).
Buddy doesn’t seem to mind parting with the cash. He’s purrfectly happy helping others while lounging on his white blankie.
The PSPCA even made adorable T-shirts and stickers that say “Save Every Buddy.” The T-shirts alone have raised more than $30,000. This kitty’s popularity just won’t stop.
As for Buddy, he’s living his second life in luxury. He went home for foster care with Katie Venanzi, the BluePearl vet who took care of him the night of the incident on April 1. But according to Audacy, Venanzi hopes to make Buddy a permanent family member.
Check out this adorable photo of Buddy snuggling up next to his new brother Teddy.
Even after finding his new home, it looks like Buddy will remain a social media star. He has a loyal audience who regularly read his blog and eagerly await his videos, which are always a hit, even though it’s usually just him playing with his toys. The PSPCA jokingly complains that they can’t go longer than a day without some kind of Buddy post.
He even receives fan mail, which goes straight to a dedicated bulletin board.
Kocher told the Inquirer, “Everyone is very invested in this cat. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I could post his left ear, and people would go crazy about it.” She thinks it’s for the hope he instills in others. “Out of something pretty horrible can come so much good. Despite bad things happening, there is still so much good in the world.”
Buddy’s story might have begun with tragedy, but kindness and compassion won in the end. We are so happy this kitty has not only survived, but is thriving and inspiring.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."