Tabby Cat Saves Owners From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

By Caroline Golon

Tiger, a formerly stray tabby cat, earned a special spot in one couple’s hearts when he recently saved them from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Rod and Michelle Ramsey of Mount Gilead, Ohio, were feeling ill one day. Michelle visited the doctor who told her it was likely food poisoning. So Michelle and Rod went to bed to recover.

But they couldn’t sleep. Tiger, a stray cat that someone had recently abandoned at the Ramseys’ farm, stood by the side of the bed, meowing.

And meowing…and meowing….and meowing. Michelle tells WBNS-TV that “he came into the bedroom, screaming in a cat voice.”

When Michelle got out of bed to let the persistent Tiger outside, she noticed her other cats were stumbling around the house. She called the vet and the veterinary assistant suspected right away what might be the cause. The vet tech asked Michelle if she had recently turned on the furnace. When Michelle said yes, the vet tech advised Michelle to get the family and cats out of the house right away.

Sure enough, when firefighters arrived, the house was full of carbon monoxide.

According to WBNS-TV, “Firefighters told the couple that they did not know how the two were awake, let alone alive.”

The Ramseys feel fortunate. Rod told WBNS that, while Tiger was getting plenty of love before, he’s getting a lot more now! “You take care of them, they take care of you,” he said.