Cat Saves Florida Family From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

CBS Miami ^ | March 5, 2019

[SMGFan]

VOLUSIA COUNTY (CBSMiami) — A Central Florida couple is crediting Bella for saving their lives. Bella is not their daughter or their dog, she is their cat. Paul and Leona Jones say when they got home from eating dinner on Feb. 27, they just wanted to get inside out of the rain. In their haste, they forgot to push the off button on their car.

It sat in the garage all night emitting carbon monoxide, silently poisoning the entire house.

At around 1:00 a.m., Bella started crying and woke them up.

Weak from inhaling so much carbon monoxide, Leona was barely able to call 9-1-1. Fire fighters administered oxygen to the couple and Bella then took them to the hospital.

[lee martell]

Carbon Monoxide spilling into the air unless you press a button? That’s a design flaw. Maybe a timer would work better.

Cat ‘crying’? Probably wanted whatever food that was not there, or wanted to see and hear more food falling into her (already full) dish.

[dforest]

Cats will cry if they feel really ill. I doubt the cat was wanting food at that time. It probably felt really nauseated.

[matt04]

As someone who has a push button start car, not once have I forgotten to shut off the car. Sure, it took some getting used to, but after week or so it became second nature.

Get it car, foot on break, press start. Get to destination. Put car in park, push off button.

[UCANSEE2]

The cat drove them to the hospital, too.

[grimalkin]

HOW do you forget to turn off your car?!

[Mercat]

I was sick in bed most of the winter. My cat Bob was there all the time. (Of course he might have just been waiting for me to die. 🧐

[romanesq]

My friend was sick. One of her favorite things to do was send me photos of her cat with her.

I enjoyed it. Still love cats and dogs but how you raise them matters. People seem to forget that.

[jjotto]

Very easily with today’s cars, especially premium ones. Don’t even need a key inserted. Proximity sensor.

Talking/texting on the phone, high or drunk, struggling with purse or purchases.

[Bell Bouy II]

No, warmest place in the house. If you died he would have relocated as you cooled down

[butlerweave]

We tried out the self cleaning oven and it made a little smoke and our Tabby ran around the house screaming and then ran to the front door and wanted everyone to leave ,good old cat ,LOL

[Dandy]

Sounds like the cat saved from a much deserved Darwin award.

[Mr Radical]

<Obviously> They need to sue the car manufacturer </Obviously>
and live happily ever afterwards on the proceeds (and cream for the kitty as well).

[Fiji Hill]

In their haste, they forgot to push the off button on their car.

Off button? Never heard of an on-off button on a car. The key serves that purpose.

[tallyhoe]

“In their haste, they forgot to push the off button on their car. It sat in the garage all night emitting carbon monoxide, silently poisoning the entire house.”

Stupid idiots; either stoned or drunk.

I was thinking how can someone be so stupid..

[DAC21]

“How stupid can you get.

They are already out of the rain. They’re in the damn garage”

Maybe a two bottles of wine dinner?

[damper99]

You need to go to the car dealer and look at newer models. Most don’t have a key, just a fob and a start/off button.

[PAR35]

You get to thinking about making sure you have your charger cable, and getting your coat out of the back seat, and pull your keys out of your pocket to unlock the door to the house....

After decades of driving, keys in hand means, subconsciously, car is off. Now, why is the radio still on? Oh, yes, I need to hit that button.

Long term keyless drivers should know better. Those of us who usually drive cars with key; well, it was good the radio was on.

I knew a guy, who years ago, rented an early car with a fob. The fob was on the console. He got out to get gas, and the door automatically locked when he closed it. Running car, fob locked in the car.

It wouldn’t cost them much to put in a circuit to cut off the car if the fob got more than, say, 15 feet away from the car and the car was stopped.

[DAC21]

Florida doesn’t require CM detectors in homes other than new construction (since 2008) or homes with boilers. That leaves a hell of a lot of homes not requiring them, therefore don’t have them.

[PAR35]

They don’t even have a locking glove box or trunk so you can secure your ‘valuable’ if you end up at a restaurant with valet service and a ‘no carry’ sign.

[Dr. Sivana]

Cats dont care about anything other than themselves.

It depends on the cat. When I came home after two weeks of marriage and Honeymoon. My best cat Jean-Marie jumped up in my arms and licked my face and purred like crazy. We had a bond.