Cat Saves Owner's Life

WKMG, Channel 6 Orlando, Florida

Rick Chap is alive today because Buddy, the neighborhood stray cat Rick and his wife Jennifer adopted , took things into his own paws when he realized something was amiss.

Jennifer was working in her home office when Buddy started pestering her. He meowed, scratched, and jumped incessantly to capture her attention.



His uncharacteristic behavior finally did the trick. In a panic, she picked up Buddy and headed to the kitchen, where she found her husband in the throes of cardiac arrest keeling over near the counter. Jennifer called 911 and began performing rhythmic compressions on his chest to the beat of Stayin' Alive, which she had seen in an American Heart Association ad about the hands-only method of CPR.

He still wasn't breathing when the paramedics arrived, but they eventually restored a heartbeat and transported him to the hospital. After a cardiac procedure and rehabilitation, Mr. Chap credits Buddy with saving his life, saying, "I really, really, owe my life to Buddy because without him she would have never come out of that office,"

Ham on Wry has grown weary of the political scene and was delighted to find a heartwarming story about a lifesaving cat to post. Many people don't appreciate the abilities cats possess to sense danger of all kinds. Perhaps their nine lives come with the bonus of ESP. Whatever the reason, Buddy is a hero.