Winnie the feline hero
Published: April 23, 2007
A cat has helped spare a family from death by carbon monoxide poisoning by jumping on the bed and meowing wildly as fumes filled the home.
Eric and Cathy Keesling said their 14-year-old cat, Winnie, played a crucial role in saving their lives after a gasoline-powered water pump in their basement caused the odourless but deadly gas to build up.
About 01:00 the domestic shorthair began nudging Cathy’s ear and meowing loudly.
“It was a crazy meow, almost like she was screaming,” said Cathy, who hesitated to get up until Winnie’s caterwauling and jumping persisted.
Cats can sense these things
When she finally climbed from bed, she realised she was nauseous and dizzy and couldn’t awaken her husband. Because he had undergone minor neck surgery the previous day, she decided to call 911 but was so disoriented she had trouble dialing.
Paramedics found the couple’s 14-year-old son, Michael, unconscious on the floor near his bedroom. The Keeslings were taken from the home in oxygen masks, treated for carbon monoxide poisoning and soon recovered.
Cathy Keesling said Winnie acted similarly last summer when tornadoes tore through the area, 72km east of Indianapolis.
“I really believe cats can sense these kind of things,” she said.
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