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Family pet saves lives 寵物貓救全家
Tuesday, Apr 17, 2007,Page 13
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Eric Keesling holds Winnie with his son, Michael, and wife, Cathy, standing in their home in Indiana, USA Apr. 5, 2007. 今年四月五日，艾瑞克基司林在美國印第安那家中抱著溫妮，站著的是他的兒子麥克及老婆凱西。
PHOTO: AP
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A cat helped save a family from death by carbon monoxide poisoning by jumping on the bed and meowing wildly as fumes filled the home, the owners said.
Eric and Cathy Keesling said their 14-year-old cat, Winnie, saved their lives Mar. 24 after a gasoline-powered water pump in their basement caused the odorless but deadly gas to build up.
At about one o'clock in the morning, the cat began nudging Cathy's ear and meowing loudly.
"It was a crazy meow, almost like she was screaming,'' said Cathy, who waited to get up until Winnie's crying and jumping carried on.
When she finally climbed from bed, she realized she felt sick and dizzy and couldn't wake up her husband. Because he had had minor neck surgery the day before, she decided to call 911 but was so disoriented she had trouble dialing.
Paramedics found the couple's 14-year-old son, Michael, unconscious on the floor near his bedroom. The family were taken from their home in oxygen masks, treated for carbon monoxide poisoning and soon got better.
Cathy Keesling said Winnie acted similarly last summer when tornadoes tore through the area.
"I really believe cats can sense these kind of things,'' she said.
(Catherine Thomas, staff writer, with agencies)
飼主表示，他們家的貓在瓦斯溢滿屋內時，跳上床、喵喵狂叫，救一家人免於一氧化碳中毒而死的命運。
艾瑞克和凱西．基司林表示，三月二十四日地下室的汽油動力水泵引發無味卻致命的瓦斯充斥屋內，他們家十四歲大的貓救了他們全家一命。
約莫清晨一點，這隻貓就開始輕推凱西的耳朵，大聲喵叫。
凱西說︰「那是瘋狂地叫，牠幾乎像是在尖叫。」她一直等到溫妮持續又叫又跳才起床。
她總算從床上爬起來後，意識到自己覺得噁心和昏眩，而且沒辦法叫醒她丈夫，因為她丈夫前一天才在脖子動了小手術。她決定打九一一，但是昏頭轉向的她連撥號都有困難。
醫護人員發現這對夫婦十四歲的兒子麥克倒在他臥
房一旁的地板上昏迷不醒。這家人被戴上氧氣罩送離住所，治療一氧化碳中毒症狀，不久就好轉了。
凱西．基司林表示，去年夏天龍捲風襲捲附近區域時，溫妮也有類似的反應。
她說︰「我真的相信貓可以感測到這類事情。」
（翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
| Today's Words 今日單字 |
| 1. carbon monoxide n.
一氧化碳 (yi1 yang3 hua4 tan4)
例: Everyone should have a carbon monoxide detector in their kitchen.
(每個廚房都應該裝一氧化碳偵測器。)
2. odorless adj.
無臭的 (wu2 chou4 de5)
例: The powder was odorless.
(這個粉末沒有氣味。)
3. disorient v.i.
失去方向 (shi1 qu4 fang1 xiang4)
例:All the new builings made me feel disorientated.
(所有新建築讓我搞不清楚方向。)
4. unconscious adj.
失去知覺的 (shi1 qu4 zhi1 jue2 de5)
例: I can't wake him up! He's unconcious.
(我叫不醒他，他失去知覺了。)
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