‘He saved my life’: Colorado Springs cat credited with saving owners during medical emergencies

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – If cats have nine lives, this kitty in Colorado Springs has given two of his back to his family.

Shilah Marette said three years ago, Tinnie, her 20-pound Russian Blue cat, started acting strange around her mother. She said Tinnie typically ignores her mother, but that night, he wouldn't leave her lap.

Later in the evening, her mother started feeling bad. They called 911 and found out she was having a heart attack.

“He's kind of a family hero," Shilah said.

About a year later, Marette said she was sound asleep when Tinnie started headbutting her under her chin until she woke up. After what happened to her mother, Marette took the warning seriously and woke up her husband. That's when she lost feeling in half her body and realized she was having a stroke.

"If he wouldn't have woken me up, I don't think I would have seen the morning light," Shilah said.

After all of his heroics, Marette and her husband decided to enter Tinnie the two-time lifesaver into the "America's Favorite Pet" competition. The competition is currently in its first round. If Tinnie is in the top five by Feb. 5, he will move on to the next round. As of Tuesday morning, he was in fourth.

“He’s my baby in every sense of the way. I think I’d be lost without him," Shilah said.

The first vote is free. People can also pay money for additional votes, with each dollar donated counting towards an extra vote, and 25% benefiting the non-profit PAWS. You can find Tinnie's page here.

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