Earlier this week, I wrote about cats being great alert systems—watch-cats, if you will. Those of you who have read some of the Klepto Cat Mysteries know that Rags, the starring cat, is a great watch-cat. He even attacks bad people, “paws” criminals in line-ups, and helps law enforcement by finding clues. While I write fiction, there are actually some real-life cats that save lives and property. Here’s a recent story of a cat who helped the cops nab a burglar. http://www.lifewithcats.tv/2018/04/10/this-just-in-angry-cat-foils-burglary/
A cat in Michigan saved a 97-year-old woman from a vicious dog attack. Her cat saw what 
was happening and jumped right in the middle of the pit bulls, scattering them in all directions. Yay, Tiger!
A cat in Wisconsin awakened his owner when she was having a diabetic emergency. When her cries didn’t wake up her son to the fact that she needed help, the cat ran to his bedroom and awakened him. The cat hadn’t been with the family for very long, either. There was no long-term bond. But he came into the family just in time. The woman had adopted the cat that very afternoon.
Many cats have been known to alert their owners when something is terribly wrong. A cat in Montana woke her owner up when their house sprung a gas leak. The authorities said the house could have blown up if the cat hadn’t intervened. A cat in Philadelphia warned his owners that their house was about to collapse. The man actually ran upstairs to wake his wife because the cat was acting so strange. The house collapsed around them, however, and no one was hurt.
Many cats have saved their families from house fires and even carbon monoxide poisoning by waking them up in the night.
Your cat might use a variety of techniques to get your attention. If the bedroom door’s closed, he’ll probably meow frantically and scratch on the door. She might paw at you trying to wake you up and meow—even bite. My cats pull my hair with their teeth. Ouch! But generally, they just want me to get up and feed them. Sometimes the cat will simply tense up and maybe run and hide if something frightens them.
It’s a wise cat owner who pays attention to their cat when he or she behaves differently than usual. It could mean that someone is lurking in your backyard or there’s some other imminent danger—a pending earthquake, perhaps. Or it could mean the cat is ill or in some sort of distress.
One thing I and many others have learned is that cats don’t typically cry wolf. If your cat tells you there’s a wolf at the door, you’d better well believe her.
