Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jun 02, 2023

'My cat saved my life when I had a heart attack'

'My cat saved my life when I had a heart attack'

A woman believes her cat saved her life by waking her up while she was having a heart attack.

Sam Felstead thinks she would have died in her sleep if Billy had not jumped on her and started meowing.

Once awake, Ms Felstead realised she could not move on her right side, so her mother helped her get to hospital.

Two cat behaviour experts told the BBC that Billy could have been reacting to changes in Ms Felstead's behaviour or physiology.


'He knew'


"The doctors said it was a good job I got to hospital in time," said Ms Felstead, who lives in Stapleford in Nottinghamshire.

"He [Billy] doesn't normally sit with me but he knew something was wrong because he wouldn't leave me alone.

"I do think he saved my life and so does everybody else around me."

Billy could have been reacting to his owner sweating more than usual


Feline behaviourist Lucy Hoile believes Billy may have picked up on physiological changes in Ms Felstead, or a change in her behaviour, making him anxious.

"It could be that the fact he jumped on her and was meowing was a sign of his anxiety," she said.

"I do believe he probably did save her life, because that's what enabled her to get medical help, but I wouldn't go down the route of saying he did it on purpose. It was him reacting to the situation."


'He was quite clever'


Ms Hoile said Billy could have picked up on Ms Felstead sweating more, moving differently from normal, making noises, being distressed in her sleep, or even changes in her smell.

"I was wet through with sweat so maybe that's what he sensed," said Ms Felstead.

"He was quite clever, bless him. He wanted to stay beside me all the time. Normally he sits next to my mum all the time, he's not interested in me. He loves my mum and gives her lots of love."

Billy does not normally give Ms Felstead any attention

Linda Ryan, a certificated clinical animal behaviourist for cats, said Ms Felstead could have been behaving in a way that was interesting for or distressing to Billy.

"It might have been that the cat was startled or distressed. The movement or twitching was attracting its attention, because cats are stimulated by movement," she said.

"It's likely to do with the change in behaviour, I would imagine. Cats don't have the same social behaviours as social species, such as dogs or horses or rabbits, as they are more solitary in nature.

"Whilst it's easy to believe this was a deliberate act of altruism, correlation does not equal causation, therefore it was unlikely to be deliberately saving her life."


'Not bothered'


Ms Felstead was in hospital from 8 August to 11 August. She had an angioplasty, where a balloon was used to stretch open a narrow artery. She will also need to take medication.

"When I came out of hospital he wouldn't go near me for a good few hours, whether I smelt funny from coming out of the hospital I don't know," she said.

She feels "very grateful" towards Billy but he is apparently nonchalant.

"I don't think he has one bit of a clue what's happened," she said.

"As long as I feed him he's not bothered."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
Close
0:00
0:00
The driver has been described by authorities as a 21-year-old woman from Tallahassee
I have a dream, MLK inspiring speech
Joe Biden falls at the Air Force Graduation
Aretha Franklin, Marvis Staples - Oh Happy Day
America's Got Talent…
BVI Freedom Song
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
Billy Preston - You Can't Beat God Giving (Live)
Drone Attack on Moscow's Wealthiest Neighborhoods Suspected to be Launched by Ukraine
VIRGIN ISLANDS REGGAE CARIBBEAN RIDDIMZ
Elon Musk Meets Chinese Finance Minister in Beijing
Oh Happy Day Edwin Hawkins - Anthony Brown w FBCG Combined Choir
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
'Stand by Me' performed by Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir
Prominent Hacker Forum RaidForums Suffers Substantial Data Breach
National Anthem of the British Virgin Islands - Oh, Beautiful Virgin
Nvidia CEO Huang says firms, individuals without AI expertise will be left behind
Hello Dolly
WPP Revolutionizes Advertising with NVIDIA's AI Powerhouse
for KING & COUNTRY - Amen (Reborn) [feat. Lecrae & The WRLDFMS Tony Wi
Two US Employees Fired For Chasing Robbers Out Of Store As They Broke ''Company Policy''
Bob Marley - Get Up Stand Up
If you donated to BLM, you got played
Yes He Can
Pfizer, the EU, and disappearing ink - Smoke, Mirrors, and the Billion-Dose Pfizer Vaccine Deal: EU's 'Open Secret
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Actor Tom Hanks told Harvard University graduates to be superheroes in their defense of truth and American ideals, and to resist those who twist the truth for their own gain
Unforgettable
The Sussexes' Royal Rebound: Could Harry and Meghan Markle Return to the UK?
Touch The Hem Of His Garment
A provocative study suggests: Left-Wing Extremism and its Unsettling Connection to Psychopathy and Narcissism
The Lord's Prayer
France Arrests 10 on Suspicion of Failing to Respond in Time to Migrant Drowning
THE GOD MOVEMENT...BEAUTIFUL BVI
Neuralink Receives FDA Approval for First-in-Human Clinical Study
Siyahamba
Is Saudi Arabia the holiest place in the world? Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions from "The Mount Sinai Stand" Discovered in Saudi Arabia
Ray Charles And The Voices Of Jubilaton, Oh, Happy Day
Ukrainian Intelligence Official Admits to Assassination Attempts on Putin
Ramblin' Rose
WATCH THIS: democracy in Russia is so bad!
Protoje - Who Knows ft. Chronixx
Ed Davey: It is possible for a woman to have a penis
Pressure - Virgin Islands Nice
Bernard Arnault Loses $11.2 Billion in One Day as Investors Fear Slowdown in US Growth Will Reduce Demand for Luxury Products
Phil Wickham - House Of The Lord
Russian’s Wagner Group leader: “I am not a chef, I am a butcher. Russia is in danger of a revolution like in 1917.”
My God Is Real (Yes, God Is Real)
TikTok Sues Montana Over Law Banning the App
The Lion King Circle of Life by LEBO M. — LIVE at the HAVASI Symphonic
Ron DeSantis Jumps Into 2024 Presidential Race, Setting Up Showdown With Trump
Louis Armstrong - When The Saints Go Marching In
Steve Jobs introducing Apple's iPhone, exactly 16 years ago.
Kanye West Sunday Service - hallelujah, salvation, and glory
Banking Behemoth vs Ex-Boss: The PMorgan-Epstein Entanglement
Jonathan Nelson - I Believe (Island Medley
China overtakes Japan as world's top car exporter
From The Virgin Islands Sqad Up
Last Walmart in North Portland Closing Down
Common, John Legend - Glory
Banking Behemoth vs Ex-Boss: The PMorgan-Epstein Entanglement
Anthony Evans vs. Jesse Campbell - If I Ain't Got You
Florida's DeSantis seeks to disqualify judge in Disney case
I have a dream, MLK inspiring speech
Talks between US House Republicans and President Biden's Democratic administration on raising the federal government's $31.4tn debt ceiling have paused
Aretha Franklin, Marvis Staples - Oh Happy Day
Biden Administration Eyeing High-Profile Visits to China: The Biden Administration is heating things up by looking into setting up a series of top-level visits to Beijing by top officials in the coming months
BVI Freedom Song
New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump’s claim documents he took were automatically declassified
Billy Preston - You Can't Beat God Giving (Live)
A French court of appeals confirmed former President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-year jail term for corruption and influence peddling
VIRGIN ISLANDS REGGAE CARIBBEAN RIDDIMZ
Debt Ceiling Crises Have Unleashed Political Chaos
Oh Happy Day Edwin Hawkins - Anthony Brown w FBCG Combined Choir
Weibao Wang, a former software engineer at Apple, was charged with stealing trade secrets related to autonomous systems, including self-driving cars
'Stand by Me' performed by Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir
Mobile phone giant Vodafone to cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years as new boss says its performance not good enough
National Anthem of the British Virgin Islands - Oh, Beautiful Virgin
Elon Musk compares George Soros to Magneto, the supervillain from the Marvel Comics series.
Hello Dolly
Warren Buffett Sells TSMC Shares Over Concerns About Taiwan's Stability
for KING & COUNTRY - Amen (Reborn) [feat. Lecrae & The WRLDFMS Tony Wi
New Study Finds That Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Is a Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 Patients Who Require Ventilator Assistance
Bob Marley - Get Up Stand Up
The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines calls the British monarchy "an absurdity" he wants to remove in his lifetime
Yes He Can
Remarkable video from our Fox drone team
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
The official tapes of Trump's deposition in the E. Jean Carroll battery (rape) and defamation case have been released.
Unforgettable
Here is the full video that the media are purposely not sharing
Touch The Hem Of His Garment
King Charles III being crowned.
The Lord's Prayer
New York procedures cover up cold blooded first degree murder of black man by white man
THE GOD MOVEMENT...BEAUTIFUL BVI
Video: Ukraine MP Punches Russian Representative At Global Meet
Siyahamba
El Paso mayor has declared a state of emergency
Ray Charles And The Voices Of Jubilaton, Oh, Happy Day
×