Police aren’t sure how else to explain it, but when an officer walked into an apartment to answer a 911 call, an orange tabby was lying by the 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. Rosheisen said he couldn't get up because of pain from osteoporosis that disrupts 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. When 911 emergency services received the call and found no one on the line, they called back to make sure everything was okay. When no one answered, they sent police to do a well check and found Tommy waiting for them. Rosheisen, who got the cat three years ago to help lower his blood pressure, said he had tried to train Tommy to call 911, but wasn’t sure the training took. Fortunately, he had trained the cat to hit the speed dial for 911, right above the button for the speaker phone. How does Rosheisen feel knowing that his cat actually did understand? “He’s my hero,” he said.
