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Rachel Lang
Cats might have nine lives but humans sure as hell don't, which is precisely why Nottingham woman Sam Felstead is grateful for her feisty feline.
The 42-year-old was woken up by her cat Billy in the wee hours of the morning by her usually stand-offish pet pounding her chest with his paws.
She then realised the early wake-up call was not because her cat was after a feed or attention, but because something was seriously wrong.
She was unable to move her body and had shooting pains down her side.
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Sam dialled 999 and was told an ambulance would be a two-hour wait, so instead she was rushed to hospital by her mum, Karen.
Scans showed that one of her arteries was blocked and doctors confirmed she had suffered a heart attack in her sleep.
The 42-year-old spent three days in hospital before being discharged and was reunited with her beloved British Shorthair, who she now credits for saving her life.
“Billy was on my chest and was meowing loudly in my ear hole," Sam said.
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“He was really meowing. He's not a lap cat. He's not a light cat either and he’s certainly not a cat that wants to be on your knee all the time. He likes to be alone."
The Stapleford woman revealed that doctors told her it was lucky that she got to hospital when she did.
"I'm just glad he woke me up. Who knows if I would have got up without him, it could’ve been worse for me," she said, adding that her alarm would not have gone off for another two hours.
"I do think he saved my life and so does everybody else around me," she said.
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Sam is now at home and is on the mend, keeping it low-key with her lifesaving cat after doctors told her to take it easy for the next six weeks.
Feline behaviour expert Lucy Hoile revealed that intuitive little Billy may have picked up on physiological changes as the heart attack took hold of his owner.
"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."