My Feline Friends

This week on Cats in the News I want to profile another cat hero. For 41 years the Purina pet food company has sponsored the Hall of Fame in which four pets are chosen to be honoured as heroes for saving lives. During the time span of the contest a total of 117 dogs, 24 cats and one horse have been inducted from among the entries received.

This year a cat named Nemo is one of the winners. Twenty-one pounds of cuddly fun, Nemo’s routine was to wake his dad up for his breakfast every morning. One morning he jumped on his mom, Angela instead, and would not cease his bids for attention, by meowing, swatting and nudging her. When she turned to her husband, Peter, to ask his opinion on Nemo’s bizarre behaviour, she discovered that he had stopped breathing, and had no pulse. Angela called 911, and when the paramedics arrived they were able to revive Peter. He received heart surgery soon after that, and is doing well today, thanks to Nemo’s persistence in waking his mom that night.

Nemo, and the other three winners will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony at PawsWay, the Purina pet centre in Toronto. To read the full story, and learn about other animal heroes check out the Purina website at

Purina

I just love stories about pet heroes. Here’s one that was in the media this week. Ron Smit was awakened when his cat Domina jumped on him in the early morning hours of Wednesday February 4. He got up, looked out the window, and to his alarm saw flames coming from the vacant detached house next door. The smell of smoke then spurred him to action. He alerted his two roommates, as well as the other two people who lived in the 3-storey Victorian house in the Parkdale area of Toronto. All five residents exited the house to safety. Seventy firefighters attended the $700,000 blaze. The cause is still to be determined.

Meanwhile, Domina disappeared amidst all the confusion. Ron spent most of the day searching for her. He later explained to the media that the stuff that he lost could be replaced, but it is not so easy to replace the bond between him and his feline friend. Domina was located at a nearby animal shelter later that day. Ron was happy to be reunited with his feline friend, however he could not bring her home right away, until he finds a permanent residence. Good job, Domina, and blessings to you both in finding a new home.