Cat calls 911 after owner can't get up.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Police aren't sure how else to explain it. But when an officer walked into an apartment Thursday night to answer a 911 call, an orange-and-tan striped cat was lying by a telephone on the living room floor. The cat's owner, Gary Rosheisen, was on the ground near his bed having fallen out of his wheelchair.

Rosheisen said his cat, Tommy, must have hit the right buttons to call 911.

"I know it sounds kind of weird," Officer Patrick Daugherty said, unsuccessfully searching for some other explanation.

Rosheisen said he couldn't get up because of pain from osteoporosis and ministrokes that disrupt his balance. He also wasn't wearing his medical-alert necklace and couldn't reach a cord above his pillow that alerts paramedics that he needs help.

Daugherty said police received a 911 call from Rosheisen's apartment, but there was no one on the phone. Police called back to make sure everything was OK, and when no one answered, they decided to check things out.

That's when Daugherty found Tommy next to the phone.

Rosheisen got the cat three years ago to help lower his blood pressure. He tried to train him to call 911, unsure if the training ever stuck.

Is that even possible? Its paws are just to big to press the dials unless the phone has bigger dials. Hmmmm maybe it is possible.........unless its a hoax. But that be a waste of time.

Please unbold this. I dont know why its doing that here.


[edit on 2-1-2006 by deltaboy]

Well on some phones you can memory dial, all you have to do is hit one button and it will call 911 automatically. So maybe it is possible to train your cat to just hit one button, but still, that pretty amazing.

[edit on 2-1-2006 by WestPoint23]

I recently seen on a show just the other day of a dog in his cage who free'd himself. And rather then running off himself he stayed back and opened the cage of every other dog in the building to free them as well. I am extremely curious as of late to how intelligent the communication is between animals.

Really makes me wonder if them meows and ruffs have some sort of significance.

There are quite a few people with service dogs who set their phone up so every speed dial button calls 911. Then when they have an emergency, the dog just hits the buttons and it dials. If they had speed dial setup to call 911 then it would be pretty easy for the cat to call it. I've heard of this happening before though.

Yeh we recently recived our phone bill and my kitten has run up a storming bill. This month it is toping £250 most of this is spent on katnip helplines, she realy does have a bad habbit.

Seriously this is realy amazing that the cat called 911, now only if i could get mine to order a pizza:bnghd:

Now that just makes my poodle look dumb...

I mean, he may be 17 now and blind, deaf, and walks in circles... But still, he could never do anything like that.

How come I can't have an intelligent animal? What happens if I fall in a well???... My dog probably already fell in there too.

I have had the same cat for I believe close to 12 years or more, give or take I guess and for the last I would say 9 years I have never purchased 1 cent worth of kitty litter. It learned to use the bathroom, so it does all of its business in the toilet as we do. It does not flush however, but I have come to terms with that.