It's not very often we think of our pet cats as being heroic, by any means. In fact, I'd say that in my own experience, "heroic" is the last word I would ever use to describe my cat, right with "patient", "pleasant", and "tolerant."
But one rescue cat from Oregon is breaking down the walls of stereotypes for felines everywhere after she recently saved her family from what could have been a fatal disaster.
According to a press release from the Cat Adoption Team, Lilly's mom, Sandi Martin, was entertaining the kitty with toys when she suddenly became interested in something else: the living room fireplace.
“I thought that was kind of strange,” Sandi said in the release. “She’d never done that before.”
Concerned by this bizarre behavior, Sandi followed Lilly's lead and gave the valve a sniff herself. It was faint, but she could definitely some natural gas.
“They told us to open all the doors, stay out of the room, and not to use our cell phone or any other electronics in that room,” Sandi recalled. “Even in the ice and snow, they had somebody out here within 20 minutes.”
As it turns out, the fireplace had a dangerous gas leak, and if it had been left unattended, it could have caused a fire, or even an explosion. Thanks to the family's curious cat, they were alerted to the leak before it became disastrous.
“Lily saved our lives,” Sandi said.
This beautiful rescue also has 21 toes, instead of a cat's usual 18. Unfortunately, she also has feline leukemia virus (FeLV), an incurable infection which can dramatically shorten a cat's lifespan. In fact, around 85% of cats tragically lose their lives within three years of their FeLV diagnosis.
When the Martin family fostered and then adopted Lilly, they saved her. Now she's returned the favor and has saved them as well.
h/t: Cat Adoption Team
