Carbon monoxide is commonly referred to as a silent killer because people can’t see it or smell it as it poisons its victims.
However, a family in Wisconsin was lucky enough to survive a carbon monoxide leak in their home not because of a detector, but because of their cat.
Annette Shanahan of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, explained Madison.com that around 1 a.m. on Feb. 4, she felt weak, ill and disoriented and wandered out of bed, thus, collapsing into a chair in the bedroom.
Her husband, whose name is Kevin, said he would have slept through it if it weren’t for the family cat, Gracie.
“All of the sudden Gracie, I heard she was pounding, knocking, knocking, knocking at the door,” he explained to local news channel WREG. “And so I got out of bed and to stop her from pounding at the door, and I looked to my left and Annette was there in the chair.”
According to her owners, Gracie doesn’t usually try to get into the bedroom, so the thudding was out of the ordinary for her, the couple stated.
They were hardly able to call 911 to tell them they couldn’t breathe.
When help did arrive, firefighters discovered deadly carbon monoxide levels in their home, which was later attributed to a hot water heater malfunction. The couple fully credits Gracie with saving their lives.
“Without her obviously we wouldn’t be here,” Annette Shanahan stated to Madison.com.
Watch the story on the video below!
Via: philadelphia.cbslocal.com
