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Video: Pro cyclist rescues cute kitten – and it is very grateful

Animal can’t stop licking Viitor Fonseca as he rides along with it tucked in his jersey

A professional cyclist in Brazil is one of the co-stars of a video that has been viewed more than 1 million times on Facebook – the other being a kitten he rescued which can’t stop showing its gratitude.

Viitor Fonseca of the Equipe de Ciclismo de Taubaté found the kitten, which had apparently lost its mother, while he was on a training ride with another cyclist last week.

With the animal clearly needing help, there was only one thing for it – Fonseca, wearing of course a Catlike helmet, tucked it into his jersey for the remaining 10 kilometres of the ride.

The kitten did not seem unduly distressed about being tucked in the jersey or being on the bike and gave him lots of licks and kisses.

He wrote on Facebook: “Saving a little life today. I’m glad he liked me and was not clawing me.”

A permanent home has now been found for the kitten, reports Metro.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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14 comments

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Yorkshie Whippet | 6 years ago
1 like

What a purrrfect story.

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Dropped | 6 years ago
1 like

So jealous - I want to rescue a kitten. Guaranteed to impress my wife more than completing a 200 mile ride!

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antonio | 6 years ago
0 likes

Brilliant! The kitten says it all.

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Super Domestique | 6 years ago
8 likes

Found on a Cat 1 climb?

Sorry. I'll pedal off now...

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Gizzard | 6 years ago
3 likes

This is adorable and has made my day. Thanks.

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JRM NZ | 6 years ago
2 likes

Hate to rain on anyone's parade, but cats naturally are drawn to salt, they can lap up sea water and their kidneys will happily deal with it. If it had been abandoned it would have been quite comfortable with the warmth of the body next to it, and the sweat (which despite the salty flavour) would have kept it hydrated.

It does however start my head wondering whether the olden day cycling teams missed a trick.  In the old days cyclists were passed newspaper to shove down their fronts at the summit of any decent climb to keep their chests warm on the descent.  Imagine a situation where the Soigneurs would reach into a basket and pass a small bundle to the riders with a quick, "Votre chaton ..."

It would have also introduced a whole new set of cycling excuses, "You fell off the pace after the first climb, was it your brakes?"  "No, unfortunately my kitten decided he was risk adverse..."

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alansmurphy | 6 years ago
1 like

 

[opens beer, sits back, waits for Jackson]

 

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billymansell | 6 years ago
12 likes

He'll have to call him Marcel Kitty

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KnightBiker | 6 years ago
2 likes

This is what we need on days like these! (My thoughts being on Manchester) I would call the cat Frankje. 

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Mungecrundle | 6 years ago
17 likes

This is officially the first cat video I have gone out of my way to watch on the internet. With the other news today it is good to be reminded even in such a trivial way that there is a basic joy, decency and compassion in being human that overwhlems the evil perpetrated by a few.

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Kendalred | 6 years ago
4 likes

That's cat speak for 'hey, this cycling lark is awesome!'

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peted76 | 6 years ago
1 like

New cycling friend awwww  1

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Grahamd | 6 years ago
3 likes

Brilliant, puts a smile on your face.

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StraelGuy | 6 years ago
5 likes

Best video EVER laugh !

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