Heroes Who Purr

The cats at Pets In Need want me to let you know that canines don’t have the corner on the hero market. Though small in size, cats have a huge capacity to relate to their people and will even save the lives of people they love!

JB was a persuasive kitty. When Karen went to a shelter looking for a female kitten, JB kept batting his big paws at her until she played with him and finally adopted the one-year-old orange and white tabby male. Within a week, JB returned the favor by saving Karen from danger. At 2:30 one morning, JB woke Karen by scratching her neck with his claws. She drifted off to sleep again, so JB dug his claws further into her neck. She sat up and then she heard the screen being removed from her bedroom window. Karen rolled off her bed, scooped up the big cat and called 911. The intruders fled, and JB never again scratched Karen in the middle of the night. “It wasn’t just a fluke,” says Karen. “Though I had him for only a week, he sensed danger and saved us!”

Duchess, a black and white domestic shorthaired cat, lived with her family in Texas and was renowned for her friendliness and good manners. One night she rudely hurled herself repeatedly at the bedroom door of Jason and Jill Wooten, waking them at 1:30 in the morning. They opened the door to find their trailer home on fire! “The smoke alarm went off about two minutes after Duchess,” Wooten said. “The firemen said that if they had gotten there a few minutes later, everything would have blown up.”

Pishie was nine months old when her family had a new two-legged baby named Alexandra. Pishie was devoted to Alexandra and slept in the hall near the baby’s room. One night Alexandra’s mom, Lin, woke up because Pishie was sitting on her chest. This was new and unwelcome behavior! Lin pushed the cat off and went back to sleep, but Pishie stubbornly returned to Lin’s chest and this time Lin had to sit up to push the cat off. When she did, she heard strange sounds coming from the baby’s room. The baby was wheezing as she fought to breathe. Lin got the doctor and medical treatment that saved Alexandra – all because of her attentive guardian kitty.

Aggie was a five-week-old blind, orphaned unsocialized kitty when she arrived as a foster at Lynn Seely’s home in Pennsylvania. The little calico won a place in the heart of the family, moving easily from “foster” to family member. She grew up, played on her cat tree and greeted everyone warmly. Except for the bitter winter night, several years later, when Aggie leapt from the tunnel atop her cat tree onto the face of a burglar who was climbing through a window into the family’s home! The thief screamed and fled, leaving one shoe on the windowsill and a trail of blood – proof of Aggie’s courageous defense of the family who had helped her so much!

At Pets In Need and other animal adoption centers, the staff, volunteers, adopters and donors help save the lives of cats and kittens every day. When the roles are reversed, it just shows you that companion animals can be lifesavers as well as best friends. If your pet is a hero, I’d love to know your story. Please write to me at Pets In Need.

 
Founded in 1965, Pets In Need receives no federal, state or local government support.

Published in the San Mateo County Times, June 8, 2002