On Dogs Saving Lives

After reading the Iditarod racer profiles today and watching four-time champion Lance Mackey moved to tears about a dog who once saved his life, I asked a friend if any cat ever saved anyone?

Credit was given for ridding mice and disease, lowering blood pressure, etc. Then she told me an odd family history story. Her dad hadn’t been pleased when he first found out she was moving here. His relatives moved away long ago after many hardships (one had been a gambler musician who disappeared one night.) But her great uncle had worked as a Duluth fumigator.

Factories would often keep cats around to try and keep mice down. I guess one particular cat wasn’t pulling its weight, so they called her great uncle, the fumigator, who after gassing, went back into the building to get the cat out. The deadly factor of cyanide (which they used to fumigate in those days) was no doubt lesser known then. So that’s how he died in some Duluth factory in the 1930s, trying to save a cat.

Cats may mark you as their property, but dogs lay around dreaming up their next chance to rescue your ass with no regard for their own safety. Expecting our pets to save us might be unrealistic though, if we can’t even save ourselves. (See PBS’s Nova show on dogs to further understand this ancient bond).

19 Comments

KayeOh

about 14 years ago

Twice in the night, my aunt who suffers COPD was in serious distress, and her cat left her side to wake up her daughter sleeping in another part of the house.  My cousin says that my aunt would have died without the cat's actions.  Does this count as saving a life?

Herzog

about 14 years ago

Absolutely, notwithstanding... both have their place,  it's probably a  wash.  I'm sure dogs have also killed many more people than house cats, not that we rely on either to aid in our demise, I'm sure the heart attacks they prevent far outweigh the accidents they cause. On a happy note, March is here, so give your dog or cat, a great big hug, run, or ball.

Bad Cat!

about 14 years ago

My cat woke me up one evening growling super-loud, like a dog would. I looked around to see what she was reacting to, and saw the shadow of a strange man right outside of my second-story window. I grabbed a sword, and angry cat and I approached the window. Turns out the strange man was a drunken ex-boyfriend who tried to get into my house and gotten himself stuck on the roof.

Technically, I wasn't in mortal peril so she didn't save my life, but she was looking out for me!

Edgeways

about 14 years ago

Every gal should have a sword and attack cat.

Melissa

about 14 years ago

What about Homer, the famed blind cat in Homer's Odyssey, who alerted his owner to the intruder in her apartment?

Book Review: Homer's Odyssey

EvilResident

about 14 years ago

My cat once accidentally maimed a mouse slightly. I had to finish the job, which was emotionally scarring.

bluenewt

about 14 years ago

Once when I was out of town and my sweetie was too sick to get out of bed, my cat lay on the pillow and kept watch over him. I'm not sure if the cat meant to be comforting or was waiting to see if he died so he could eat him.

Bad Cat!

about 14 years ago

Speak softly and carry an attack cat.

Herzog

about 14 years ago

I guess you can't categorically deny some feline philanthropy, it's just different with dogs.  So just when I'd honestly thought they'd found all the cat people, they got another one recently up in Two Harbors, this implies there must be hundreds more...It harkens to all the other weirdos who are still out there, hoarding cats aside...I think about this often when driving through Wisconsin. 

But that was a pretty interesting story badcat, my gf had a peeper once whose dad apparently showed his sons the ropes, you know, most dads take their sons fishing and to the ball game, this guy showed his sons the art of peeping.  The guy was getting around too. They both did a little time for it, then unbeknownst, a friend invited peeper to a party years later, and had to be enlightened about the conflict of interests. So you see, we're all in this together.  Not that your xbf was a peeper, he probably just intended to woo you back with a sonata, and got stuck, it happens to the best of us.

Bad Cat!

about 14 years ago

Keeping the family tradition, that's really creeeepy.
No, I don't think ex was a peeper, he was just a sad romantic who had all these ideas about how to get me back that were influenced by alcohol (like the time he showed up at my house with a 20' christmas tree stolen from a state land).

Metalist

about 14 years ago

@EvilResident:
". . . accidentally maimed a mouse slightly."

Well, if you had to finish the job, it wasn't slightly maimed, whatever that means.

Just saying . . .

Herzog

about 14 years ago

Sounds like my kind of guy Bad Cat, if only half these kids nowadays had that kind of joy de vive.  Women never understand a man's destructive ways as paramount to proving their love. Did he string lights and bring a generator? Maybe that was it, he only went half way. I could see your case then.

We had this cat who used to bring the later half of mice as presents. Nothing makes a mouse look sillier than when its just a round ass with two legs and a tail sticking out. I was never sure how he got such a clean cut.   Its hard when this happens, as this was my gift from Comet, not to ponder the saying 'one animals treasure is another's trash.'

Bad Cat!

about 14 years ago

If he's your kinda guy, I'm sure you can still find him drinking in his parent's basement. ;)

Francene Starr

about 14 years ago

So cool that you grabbed a sword! and YEAH kitty!!!

Herzog

about 14 years ago

Drinking in your parent's basement is so cliche, but the ladies love it.

I used to dislike cats, it seemed they'd always leap, and attach their claws into my skull.   The owners would always say, 'I can't believe it, she's never done that before!'  So I decided to embrace them instead, and they stopped attacking me.
 
Let's rename this, "On Dogs and Cats Living Together."

zra

about 14 years ago

when dogs and cats live together...the terrorists win.

Bad Cat!

about 14 years ago

I was nervous when I moved my cranky old kitty into a house with two huskies, but she totally rules the roost here. As soon as her death-paw is up in the air, the dogs take off.

Boris Karlove

about 14 years ago

Defecating Boxer 'Daniel' sparks US shootout

Respect property, police said...

Two neighbours in the US state of Mississippi drew weapons and fired at each other as an argument over a defecating dog ran out of control.

Associated Press news agency said Jerry Blasingame, 60, has been charged with assault for shooting Terry Tehnet, 52, with a shotgun.

Mr Tehnet was angry because he thought Mr Blasingame's dog had defecated on his lawn, in a rural part of the state.

Mr Tehnet, whose injuries are not life-threatening, may also be charged.

The two men gave AP different versions of what happened. Sources aside from this BBC coverage had one officer Blingsdorf commenting, "In all my years of service, I've never seen anything like this. I mean this is like people imitating animals, people making animals look bad, animals behaving like animals really." He went on to warn citizens, "I don't want to have to lecture people about dog shit, or shooting their neighbors, but I will if I have to."  Authorities are looking for ways to prevent neighborly shootouts over dog shit.  Options being considered are neighborly picnics, public information seminars about proper care of your animal, and increasing fines for when your animal shits outside its boundaries.

"An animal has got to know its limits" said Blingdorf. I will personally shoot each and every one of those little beasts if I witness it defecating beyond its limits. If it saves human lives, absolutely you bet I will, every time." At which point the officer was overcome by emotion at the notion of having to take down one animal to save another.

Boris Karlove

about 14 years ago

Daniel is now in custody awaiting trail.  There will be justice for all pooches who run outside the law.

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