Yes, I know that cats can be protective! When I was sharing a house with friends, my cat Murf (RB) loved to hang out with the humans. My friends had a young baby, and we were all sitting in the family room - with the baby playing on a quilt on the floor and Murf sitting about 2 feet away. The baby's mom came in the room and swooped down to pick up the baby. Murf jumped at her, and hissed and swatted her. Then he stayed between her and the baby, his ears pinned back and his tail swishing.

My friend had to approach Murf with a soothing voice and gentle hand reaching out. He calmed down when he recognized her voice and her smell - and in a couple minutes, he went off to find a snack...

I was so proud of Murf - and glad that this story proves the old wives' tales about cats and babies to be wrong!