A cat that saved her diabetic owner’s life by notifying her partner with a bite remains in the running for a leading award.
Willow is amongst 12 finalists for the National Cat Awards run by the well-being charity Cats Protection.
Willow’s owner Amanda Jameson, 51, from Prescot, Merseyside, had actually gone to bed with low blood-sugar levels and passed out.
The quick-thinking animal bit the leg of Amanda’s partner Ray Sherwood, 57, who was asleep in front of the television, and paced around to wake him up.
Ray said: “It was very out of character for her and made me get up to see what all the fuss was about. She was running between me and the stairs, looking back at me. I followed her up the stairs and she kept looking back.”
“When I went into the bedroom, Willow leapt on to the bed, and I could see Amanda slumped over. She was unresponsive and I called an ambulance straight away.”
Amanda was close to falling under a diabetic coma. She said: “Willow is amazing, I just think she’s incredible. Since I came home from hospital, she has become very protective of me.
“I’ve noticed how she puts her nose to my mouth a lot, I think she’s checking I’m breathing.”
Willow remains in the awards’ Moggy Marvels classification. She is along with Dali, who was missing out on for a month prior to being discovered marooned on rocks in the Bradford Beck river, and Beau, who supports her owner David, who has incurable blood cancer.
The public has up until June 30 to vote, with the winners – revealed on July 17 – getting a £200 animal store coupon.
Awards organiser Ashley Fryer said: “We’ve whittled down 3,000 entries to just 12 felines and we can’t wait to see who the public chooses.”
Hard-up dog and cat owners are preventing journeys to the veterinarian. Twenty percent state another unforeseen expense would indicate parting with their animal.
Two-fifths of 2,065 quizzed for Co-op Insurance would enter into financial obligation to fund treatment. Andrew Nevitt, at the insurance provider, said almost half of owners have no animal insurance coverage, suggesting more “face heart-breaking decisions”.
