Cat's yowling saves owner from fire

INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI: A 97-year-old woman says her cat's early morning yowling saved her from a house fire.

Grace George, of Independence, said her cat Boo Boo's yowling from an open bedroom window early morning on July 30th woke her up from a sound sleep.

``I got so aggravated,'' George said. ``I didn't know why she was doing that.''

George picked up the black and gold brindle, a stray she had taken in about 15 years earlier, and felt her way through the dark house until she reached the kitchen.

It was just 4 a.m., and she wanted more sleep. So she started to put the cat outside.

Then she smelled smoke. ``I knew I had to get out of the house,'' said George, seated Thursday on a sofa in her daughter's house, just down the block.

George ran toward the street in the rain, and flagged down the third car she saw.

``Thank God it was a lady,'' she said. ``All I had on was bikini underwear and a tank top.''

Firefighters got Boo Boo out of the house safely and administered oxygen.

For now, George and her heroic cat are staying with George's daughter.

George told her daughter, ``I'm going to get her a special treat, a can of salmon. That's $2.''

``No,'' Patty Young said. ``It's up to five.'' The Independence Fire Department believes lightning caused the fire.