Just imagine the
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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Hello, kitty? Police help man after cat calls 911 |
| 2006-01-04 |
| One heart-warming animal story, RB-style (sorry, no bestiality this time)... none of my brain-dead, overfed and lazy felines could ever do this... When Timmy was in trouble, Lassie knew to bark for help. But he had nothing on Gary Rosheisen’s cat, Tommy. When Rosheisen fell out of his wheelchair Thursday night, Tommy knew to dial 911. Or maybe it was just dumb luck. Rosheisen fell while trying to get from his wheelchair into bed about 7 p.m. He couldn’t get up because of the pain — he has osteoporosis and ministrokes that disrupt his balance — so he yelled for help. The only reply was his neighbor’s loud snoring. Rosheisen, 50, couldn’t reach a cord above his pillow that alerts paramedics that he needs help. And the phone was on the other side of the room of his North Side apartment. So he laid on the floor, shivering and wondering if he would get help before the nurse came at 9:30 a.m. Then he heard a knock on the door. He hollered twice to come in. In walked Columbus Police Officer Patrick Daugherty, who had followed Rosheisen’s voice to his bedroom. "How did you know to come here?" Rosheisen asked. Daugherty told him a 911 call had come in from Rosheisen’s Beechcroft Road apartment, but there was no one on the phone. Police tried to call back to make sure everything was OK, and when no one answered, they decided to check things out. "Well, it must have been Tommy," Rosheisen said. Daugherty didn’t believe it. Then he walked into the living room, and there was the rust-orange-and-tan striped cat, laying by the telephone on the floor. "I know it sounds kind of weird," Daugherty said, but he isn’t sure how else to explain it. Rosheisen got Tommy three years ago to help lower his blood pressure, and tried to train him to call 911. He wasn’t sure how well it worked, though, and treats were involved. And after he got a medical-alert necklace, he didn’t see the point. But he wasn’t wearing the necklace on Thursday because he had gone to the hospital to scan his blood vessels, and metal is not allowed in the machine. His forearm was badly bruised and sore from an IV, further weakening him. The phone in the living room always is on the floor, and there are 12 small buttons — including a speed dial for 911 right above the button for the speaker phone. "He must have just happened to hit the right buttons," Rosheisen said. Tommy, shy despite his deed, hid around the corner while Rosheisen told the story. But he eventually came out. "There’s the man of the hour," Rosheisen said. "He’s my hero." |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #8 Tommy's doing OK outta this... His ride... Just imagine the |
| Posted by: .com 2006-01-04 16:03 |
| #7 I might've... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-01-04 12:37 |
| #6 You never met my ex-wife... |
| Posted by: Fred 2006-01-04 12:35 |
| #5 Big cats can scratch and bite, but a little ***** never hurt anybody. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-01-04 12:09 |
| #4 Pappy, cats are very intelligent critters and as a result, they've no frigg in unions! Sheesh... |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-01-04 12:07 |
| #3 Wonder if they'll throw him out of the Cat Union for doing something outside his job description... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-01-04 11:54 |
| #2 LOL Tommy. |
| Posted by: Shoboater Angelton6948 2006-01-04 10:17 |
| #1 Enough with the interviews, I want tuna! |
| Posted by: Tommy 2006-01-04 09:31 |