HEROIC CATS

By Helen Wilson

Dogs are well known for their skills in saving lives on mountains and working in tandem with police and firefighters.  But cats are also heroes!  A black kitten called “Schnautzie” won an award when she saved her family from a gas leak.  Schnautzie patted her human’s nose in the middle of the night until finally awakening him to the deadly gas (catster.com)

Aided by their acute sense of smell, felines have a sixth sense about fire.  A Chicago cat named “Baby” was a shy pet, but when a fire started one night in her home, she pounced on her sleeping humans until they woke and got to safety.   In Indiana, “Peanut Buster” and “Midnight” detected fire and woke up their human, saving her life  (Hartville Pet Insurance).  Appreciating the help and value of cats, firefighters have been seen carrying a cat down a ladder and even administering CPR, rescuing the rescuer!

Another heroic role of cats is that of child protector.   A driveway camera caught the image of a cat named “Tara” who protected a young boy being attacked by an aggressive dog.  Tara leaped into the air, running at high speed, and slammed the dog into the street (Animal Planet).

A dedicated cat in England saved a toddler in her home who was choking on some grapes.  “Pixie” raced around the door outside the nursery until 18 month old April’s parents were alerted.  Pixie received a national award from Cats Protection, a UK feline charity (Modern Cat).

Military Cats:  History has also recorded the stories of heroic cats such as “Simon”, the Navy cat. Simon was a bedraggled kitten when smuggled aboard the HMS Amethyst in 1948.  He was soon the chief rodent control officer, also lifting the spirits of sailors on board the ship.  Simon was alongside his human when the ship’s Captain was killed in an attack.  Simon received shrapnel wounds but recovered.  He was awarded the “Animal Victoria Cross,” and given the rank of “Able Sea Cat.” (petplace.com)  Another famous cat in military service was “Tom”, who found food for some starving soldiers in the 1850’s.  They had taken Tom into their shelter and saw that he was well fed.  Following him to a pile of rubble, where he hunted mice, they found an underground storeroom of food!

Cats not only bring fun and love into our homes, they may one day save our lives!