Now if we could only train them to change their own litter box...

[Shockeye]

Cat called 911 to help ill owner, police say

Posted 12/31/2005 1:54 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — 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.

The phone in the living room is always on the floor, and there are 12 small buttons — including a speed dial for 911 right above the button for the speaker phone.

"He's my hero," Rosheisen said.

[schild]

Hit the right buttons? You mean the one button? The one right above speaker phone? So he hit 911. That ONE button. Ok, I've got it now. The cat called the police. It's a fucking miracle. I hate people.

[Xerapis]

I just can't believe that not only did this human attempt to train a cat to dial 911, but he then admitted it to the general public.

[Samwise]

Hit the right buttons? You mean the one button? The one right above speaker phone? So he hit 911. That ONE button.

He'd have had to hit the speaker phone button first, which is why their relative placement is important - the guy set it up that way to make it as easy as possible to train the cat to hit both buttons.

And apparently it worked.  Go him.  Though I'd just buy a cel phone and hang it around my neck, personally.

[Sky]

It's a fucking miracle. I hate people.

Lighten up, man. It pretty much IS a miracle. What are the odds the cat sees the guy fall and dials 911, no matter how many button presses were involved? No cat I've ever had would do that. It's amazing. The guy could've been there for days and died of dehydration or summat.

[schild]

Cats paw your hair and lick your face when you're on the floor. They don't run to the other room and call 911. How the hell do you train a cat to dial 911 of all things anyway? I can just see it now.

"911, state your problem."

"No, nothing just training my cat again."

"Oh, Gary, yea, about that. CATS DON'T DO THAT."

*click*

The police don't know how to explain it, because they don't want to call the guy a nutjob. With ministrokes the guy could've crawled around his entire apartment, dialed it himself at one point and crawled all the way back to his wheelchair. The CAT did not dial 911. It's preposterous. It's like a wookie living on Endor.

[Shockeye]

The CAT did not dial 911. It's preposterous. It's like a wookie living on Endor.

And 360's do not scratch discs. It's preposterous. Oh wait...

[schild]

The CAT did not dial 911. It's preposterous. It's like a wookie living on Endor.

And 360's do not scratch discs. It's preposterous. Oh wait...

All disc players can scratch discs. No cats dial 911. Training a cat to do something requires repetition. If he was training a cat to dial 911 the people on the other end wouldn't have thought there was an actual emergency. It's the boy who cried cat. Stop trying to blame Microsoft for the fine detective work in Columbus.

[Samwise]

He didn't need to train the cat to actually contact a 911 dispatcher - he just had to train the cat to press the speaker phone button and then a particular speed dial button (which, for training purposes, is set to point at nothing).  Then, after he's finished training the cat, he sets the speed dial button to call 911 instead of nowhere.

Or he could just train the cat with the phone unplugged.  The phone doesn't need to be plugged in to practice pushing the buttons.

I'm a genius!

[schild]

I'm a genius!

And that may be, but I question this guys ability to train a cat when he can't remember his "I've fallen and I can't get up" lanyard.

[Samwise]

I wouldn't put it past a cat to feign complete ignorance when being taught to hit the 911 button, and then rememer how to hit it once it became apparent that no more food would be forthcoming until it did.  Cats are usually smarter than they let on.

I agree, the guy sounds like a dingus.  I give his cat much more credit than I give him.