Experts have trained many animals to help people with disabilities. But a cat named Smokey taught herself.
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| Photo credit FUKA |
Mary and Philip Nabarro lived with their daughter, Jane. All the Nabarros are hearing impaired. They communicate by using sign language and lip-reading.
When Smokey was about 18 months old, the Nabarros noticed something unusual about her. In one way, she acted like a dog! When she wanted something, she’d sit down squarely in front of them.
Animal experts say it’s very rare for cats to communicate so directly with their owners. Smokey seemed to notice that the Nabarros couldn’t hear noises in and around their house. So she sat in front of them if the phone or the doorbell rang.
She also alerted Jane when she left water running. Once, Smokey warned them of a prowler in their yard. In effect, Smokey became the family’s ears.
When Jane went to college in London, she took the cat. “One night,” Jane says,
“Smokey suddenly came over from the window and looked right up at me. She didn’t look very happy, either.” It was a small thing, but by now, Jane knew this was a warning. She went up to the window—and saw a strange man peering back at her! For a woman living alone in a big city, this was a frightening moment.
“I phoned my boyfriend,” Jane says. “He came over and chased the man away.”
Once again, a warning from Smokey had kept a threat to her family from turning into something serious. Smokey is 13 years old now, and she’s still standing guard over her hearing impaired family.
