Cat awarded for using paw to warn of gas leak

[April 20, 2010]  GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- A 3-year-old cat credited with saving lives by tapping its owner's nose with a paw to alert her of a gas leak has been awarded the Purple Paw by the Great Falls Animal Foundation.

Schnautzie received her award Saturday at the foundation's annual Fur Ball.

Trudy Guy says Schnautzie was just 6 months old in 2007 when Guy awoke with Schnautzie on her chest and a paw on her nose.

In checking the house she heard a roaring sound in the bathroom and found a gas pipe outside the bathroom had broken above the shut-off valve.

She said responding firefighters told her the house could have blown up due to the gas levels.

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Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com/

[Associated Press]

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