Back in January, Glen Schallman knew that Blake, a black kitten he had adopted from the Humane Society of North Texas in January, was special.
“This little boy and I bonded,” Schallman told The Huffington Post. “He was meowing, trying to get the [shelter worker’s] attention, like, ‘get me out of here!'”
GLEN SCHALLMAN
There was something that Schallman, who at times suffers from seizures, didn’t see coming at all. And that’s that Blake would save his life mere days after he was adopted by Schallman!
“I’ve had seizures since I was about 5 years old,” Schallman said. He admits that when he was seizures in his sleep, they cause him to suddenly stop breathing. He’s woken up choking in the past, and fears that one day he simply will be not able to wake up.
A mere few days after adopting Blake, Schallman had a seizure while sleeping. When he was awake and more alert he noticed that Blake was sharply biting at his toes.
Schallman admitted that it was the cat who woke him up, not the seizure.
“I probably would not have woken up,” Schallman said.
Some may be tempted to write off Blake’s toe-bite as a usual cute antic of any typical cat, however, Blake had already proven himself to be especially sensitive to Blake’s condition, prior to this incident.
When Schallman had a few smaller seizures, he said, “Blake would start patting me on my arm,” giving Schallman a look that seemed like, “Are you OK?”
Blake is not the first kitty to have been aware of Schallman’s condition.
Some 14 years ago, he adopted another black cat who he named Boo Boo Kitty. Boo Boo, just like Blake, demonstrated an uncanny ability to detect a seizure coming on very shortly for Schallman shortly after he adopted her.
Find a black kitty, pick it up, and throughout your life, you’ll have good luck!
All photos property of Glen Schallman
