Not true with all cats.
My in-laws had a Siamese. She once woke the family up when a rug over the furnace register caught on fire. Okay, so that may have been in self interest.
But another time, my father-in-law collapsed in the bathroom with a heart attack in the middle of the night. The cat woke up my mother-in-law.
That’s because your father in law always fed the cat. The cat didn’t want its food supplier to die
I think Siamese are much more in touch with their owner’s feelings. I had one in the 1980s and he was always aware of my moods and would crawl on my lap and look at me sadly if I was crying.
Yay! Let’s hear it for Siamese cats!
Over the years I’ve owned a bunch and without a doubt, each one of them has managed to alert me to something or other. Even if it was to “tell me” a phone was ringing while I was running a vaccuum cleaner. Don’t believe me? Try owning one. If treated properly, they are fabulous animals. They are extremely intelligent, interactive, loving and of course, verbal.
We currently own three males who are a riot together. They’ve got the whole macho thing going on. I suspect it goes something like: “I’m the boss.” “No, I’M the boss.” “Wanna bet, fatso!” Etc. etc.