Heroic Cats
by Warren Bull
For the first time ever the Los
Angeles Chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals gave
the National Hero Dog Award to a cat.
Six-year-old Jeremy Triantaflo was riding his bicycle on his family’s
driveway in Bakersfield, CA when he was attacked. Scrappy, a dog that lived next door got out of his yard,
grabbed Jeremy’s leg and shook from side to side. Tara, the family cat body
slammed Scrappy and chased the dog toward its home. Jeremy, who is autistic, had to have eight stitches. Scrappy was later euthanized. Tara’s heroics can be seen on YouTube
Tara is not the only feline
phenomenon.
Chris Perez of the New York Post reported that Masha, a
long-haired tabby cat, saved the life of a
baby abandoned in the streets of Russia. She climbed into the box he was discarded in and kept him
warm, health officials said. “The baby had only been outside for a few hours and thanks to Masha …
he was not damaged by the experience,” a hospital spokesman told Central European News.
baby abandoned in the streets of Russia. She climbed into the box he was discarded in and kept him
warm, health officials said. “The baby had only been outside for a few hours and thanks to Masha …
he was not damaged by the experience,” a hospital spokesman told Central European News.
Her meowing attracted the attention of a woman passing by. “She is very placid and friendly, so
when I heard her meowing, I thought that perhaps she had injured herself,” said Obninsk city resident
Irina Lavrova. “Normally she would have come and said hello to me. You can imagine my shock
when I saw her lying in a box next to a baby.”
when I heard her meowing, I thought that perhaps she had injured herself,” said Obninsk city resident
Irina Lavrova. “Normally she would have come and said hello to me. You can imagine my shock
when I saw her lying in a box next to a baby.”
“Clearly her
mothering instincts had taken over and she wanted to protect the child,”
Lavrova
explained. “He was well-dressed with a little hat, and whoever left him here had even left a few
nappies and some baby food.”
explained. “He was well-dressed with a little hat, and whoever left him here had even left a few
nappies and some baby food.”
The baby was immediately rushed to a local hospital, where he
was given a checkup and declared fit
and healthy.
and healthy.
Masha has no single owner.
Residents of the area take care of her. She has returned the favor many
times over.
times over.
Another example of bravery
comes from Suzanne Giovaneatti of the Associated Press. An orange
and white tabby named Jack showed plenty of catitude when a much larger black bear wandered into
his backyard in Milford, N.J. in 2006. Jack, a clawless tabby confronted the bear and sent it
scrambling up a neighbor’s tree. Jack hissed at the base of the tree and kept the bear trapped there for
about 15 minutes. Then, when the bear tried to get away, Jack chased it up another tree.
and white tabby named Jack showed plenty of catitude when a much larger black bear wandered into
his backyard in Milford, N.J. in 2006. Jack, a clawless tabby confronted the bear and sent it
scrambling up a neighbor’s tree. Jack hissed at the base of the tree and kept the bear trapped there for
about 15 minutes. Then, when the bear tried to get away, Jack chased it up another tree.
"He doesn't want anybody in his yard," Jack’s owner, Donna Dickey, told the Newark Star Ledger at
the time. After Dickey called Jack inside, the bear beat a path back to the woods.
From the Door County Humane society and the Associated Press
with contributions from Today
Associated Editor Amy Eley
Associated Editor Amy Eley
A Wisconsin woman named Amy Jung credited her 21-pound cat,
Pudding, with saving her from the
grip of a diabetic seizure only hours after she adopted him from an animal shelter in 2012.
grip of a diabetic seizure only hours after she adopted him from an animal shelter in 2012.
“If something or someone hadn’t pulled me out of that, I
wouldn’t be here,” Jung told the Green Bay
Press-Gazette newspaper at the time.
Press-Gazette newspaper at the time.
On the night she brought Pudding home, Jung — who is in her 30s
and has been living with diabetes
since the age of 4 — went to bed at about 9:30 p.m. About 90 minutes later, she started to have a
diabetic seizure. That’s when, according to the Press-Gazette, “Pudding planted his weight on her
chest and, when he could not wake her, began swatting her face and biting her nose.”
since the age of 4 — went to bed at about 9:30 p.m. About 90 minutes later, she started to have a
diabetic seizure. That’s when, according to the Press-Gazette, “Pudding planted his weight on her
chest and, when he could not wake her, began swatting her face and biting her nose.”
Jung came to her senses enough to yell out to her son Ethan for
assistance. At that point, Pudding
jumped up onto Ethan’s bed and startled him into action. He immediately rushed to get his mom the
help she needed.
jumped up onto Ethan’s bed and startled him into action. He immediately rushed to get his mom the
help she needed.
Last but by no means least:
Police aren't sure how else to explain it, but when an officer
walked into an apartment in January
2006 to answer a 911 call, an orange-and-tan striped cat was lying by a telephone on the living room
floor. The cat's owner, Gary Rosheisen, was on the ground near his bed having fallen out of his
wheelchair.
2006 to answer a 911 call, an orange-and-tan striped cat was lying by a telephone on the living room
floor. The cat's owner, Gary Rosheisen, was on the ground near his bed having fallen out of his
wheelchair.
Rosheisen said his cat, Tommy, must have hit the right buttons
to call 911.
"I know it sounds kind of weird, Officer Patrick Daugherty said, unsuccessfully searching for some
other explanation.
Rosheisen said he couldn't get up because of pain from
osteoporosis and ministrokes that disrupt his
balance. He also wasn't wearing his medical-alert necklace and couldn't reach a cord above his pillow
that alerts paramedics that he needs help. But the 911 call got placed anyway, and when Daugherty
arrived on the scene, he found Tommy reclining next to the phone.
balance. He also wasn't wearing his medical-alert necklace and couldn't reach a cord above his pillow
that alerts paramedics that he needs help. But the 911 call got placed anyway, and when Daugherty
arrived on the scene, he found Tommy reclining next to the phone.
Have you known any heroic
animals?
Amazing stories. How did a cat dial 911?! I had no idea that our feline friends were capable of heroic acts. When I had a cat all she wanted to do was eat, nap and have her ears rubbed. She didn't have superhero tendencies.
ReplyDeleteFantastic post Warren. Cats often get short shrift in the heroic animal world, but they truly do have their moments. Thank you for pointing that out. My six are giving you high fours! Kara, I can tell you how my cat dialed 911. The phone I had at the time had three external speed dial buttons. One for my then boyfriend, one for the vet, one for 911 (I programmed them that way) I woke one night to the police in my backyard in response to a 911 call. Since I lived alone, except for the cat, we decided the cat had jumped on the counter and stepped on the 911 button. I changed the phone out after that. This cat had six toes, and she used her extended dew claw toe as a thumb. She could open anything with a knob. Fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteWe've had some amazing cats, but none had the opportunity to be heroic, not that they wouldn't have been if given the opportunity!
ReplyDelete~ Jim
OK, I'm teaching my dog to dial 911.
ReplyDeleteKB
Great stories, Warren. None of the pets I have had were this heroic, but perhaps they just didn't have the chance to prove themselves!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading these stories, Warren. My brother and sister-in-law took in two yellow tabbies who were brothers from someone they knew. One day a neighbor arrived with a large lab, went after one of the cats. The other cat came flying around the corner of the house, and leaped on the dogs back and dug its claws in while growling and hissing until the dog ran back to the neighbor's truck and into the back shaking and afraid.
ReplyDeleteGreat stories, Warren! We had a cat at one time who knew how to leap up on the phone/answering machine, put it on speakerphone, and flip off the receiver, so that a loud "IF you'd like to make a call, please hang up and dial again" would wake us when he was mad about being shut out of the bedroom. If we were late coming home, he also would put the phone on memo and drag food up to eat it on the microphone, so we'd get messages of him crunching loudly into the phone. He never mixed those two acts up, either.
ReplyDeleteMy sister had a cat that let a new puppy, friendly but ignorant about boundaries, know he wanted to be left alone. The puppy grew bigger. The cat did not. However, the cat continued to hiss when the dog stepped out of line. The dog remained intimidated.
ReplyDelete