Samantha and her turtle friend, Shelly

Many Chinese people do not like keeping cats because it's said that cats are not close to people, they just come around when they are hungry, and then they do their own stuff, unlike dogs who are really close to their owners.

From the following account, we can see that cats know how to come to the rescue of its owner too. They are not that bad, after all :-)

Written by Ms. Tia Jenkins

I suffer from depression and I have a medical condition that has left me with no side vision. This means I can only see the big "E" at the top of the eye chart. I also have seizures. They are complicated by the fact that if I were to hit my head, it would be fatal, because I've had four brain surgeries.

I was living in a studio apartment when one of my neighbors brought me this black cat he had, named Samantha. He told me that if I did not take her, he was going to feed her to a pit bull dog. He was angry, because Samantha had bitten him. I couldn't let him do such a cruel thing to the cat. So I agreed to take Samantha and find a new home for her. At that time I was pending Social Security insurance, so I did not have any money to take care of a cat. My boyfriend, Jason, said that he would buy anything I needed, if I wanted her. I said I would think about it.

I decided to keep Samantha for myself when I noticed that she brought me out of my depressed moods. She would make me laugh by playing fetch with me. I started to train her to bring items that I could not find due to my loss of sight and other disabilities. I trained her to alert me to people and dangers. Samantha also learned how to get help for me, if I went into a seizure.

Jason and I moved into a two-bedroom apartment. It had a faulty stove that the landlord kept putting off fixing. On January 20, 2004, I was at the computer in the living room. Jason called home from work and said he could hear a clicking sound.

I went into the kitchen and checked for the noise, but nothing was on. I went back to the kitchen about five minutes later. That's when I heard Samantha, standing at the kitchen door, making the sickest sounding meow.

With what little sight I have, I saw a reflection of flames on the kitchen wall. A fire on the stove had caused the George Forman Grill to burst into flames.

I reached down the side of the wall and hit the fire with the fire extinguisher. At that point I could not see anything. I didn't know that smoke was going up the stove hood. And now it was filling the apartment fast.

I dialed 911 and told them I had a fire. I was confused about how to get out. All I knew was that I wouldn't leave without Samantha or Shelly (my turtle, and Samantha's friend). Then I heard Samantha over against the other wall. I managed to get to the pet taxi by following the sound Samantha was making. But she was not there!!

Then I heard Samantha clawing at the aquarium's glass. This is where her friend, Shelly, lived. Again, following the sounds Samantha made, I crawled over, lifted the top off the aquarium, and put Shelly in my purse. Now that I knew about the fire, her turtle friend was safe, and I had called for help, Samantha opened the door to her pet taxi. She got inside, ready for me to rush her, Shelly, and myself out of there.

Just as the fire department arrived, I locked Samantha into the pet taxi, grabbed my purse with Shelly in it, and ran from the apartment.

Later, the firefighters told me that by the time the smoke detector sounded, the whole kitchen would have gone up in flames. If it had not been for Samantha's warning and bravery, none of us would be here today.

Ever since Samantha saved my life, I have tried to get my state to recognize her as a service animal. On August 4, 2004, The Epilepsy Foundation of Kentucky paid and sent for Service Animal Registry of America (SARA) and Therapeutic Animal certification for Samantha. This means no one can ever take my angel kitty from me. Samantha will have the protection under the law that she deserves.

There is not a day that goes by that Samantha is not helping me with my disabilities. Shelly and I both love and are ever grateful to this little angel kitty.

Bio: Tia Jenkins is a disabled twenty-seven-year old woman who lives in Louisville, Kentucky.