NEW CASTLE, Ind. -- A cat that went berserk, jumping on its owners' bed and meowing wildly as carbon monoxide filled a home, may have helped save a couple and their son from death.
Eric and Cathy Keesling said their 14-year-old cat, Winnie, played a crucial role in saving their lives March 24 after a gasoline-powered water pump in their basement caused a buildup of the odorless but deadly gas in their home.
About 1 a.m., 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 about the bed persisted.
When she finally climbed from bed, she realized she was extremely 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 soon arrived and found the couple's 14-year-old son, Michael, lying unconscious on the floor near his bedroom. The Keeslings were taken from the home in oxygen masks and treated for carbon monoxide in their systems.
The family members, who soon recovered, are grateful to emergency personnel for rescuing them. But they credit "Winnie the Wondercat" for playing a key role in saving them from possibly dying. They also have another cat.
Cathy Keesling said Winnie acted in the same, crazed manner last summer when a series of tornadoes went through the area around New Castle, 45 miles east of Indianapolis.
"I really believe cats can sense these kind of things," she said.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
