This Teen's Love For Cats Saved His Elderly Neighbor's Life
Nolan Smith only went outside because a black cat showed up in his yard, and that small moment ended up changing a life. On a freezing day in Springhill, Nova Scotia, the teen followed the cat around his yard and heard someone calling for help nearby.
What he found was his 93-year-old neighbor, injured and bleeding after a fall in her backyard. Nolan and his brother quickly stepped in, and their fast response helped save her life.
It started with a cat and ended with a rescue nobody saw coming. Read on.
Nobody likes to be outside with snow on the ground and temperatures struggling to stay above freezing, not even Nolan.
On such a frigid day, only a cat could lure him outside. The black cat that had drawn him into his yard that day turned out to be a good luck charm for his injured neighbor.
Nolan discussed the rescue with CBC News, recalling that the temperature on that January day was roughly 14 degrees Fahrenheit. "I went over there in my slippers," he said, explaining that he had merely come out to visit with the cat and wasn't equipped for the cold.
This is Nolan. He went outside to greet a cat and found his elderly neighbor in distress.
But upon hearing someone in trouble, he didn’t think about the freezing temperatures. As he explained, “I felt worried and nervous.”
All of his concerns faded away when he discovered his neighbor in distress. Nolan set about bringing her to safety right away, but he realized they would need a bit more help, so he called his brother.
Nicholas, a 19-year-old, arrived in a rush. The Smith brothers worked together to transport the woman to a warmer location and dialed 911.
She was taken to the hospital by ambulance and spent a few days healing from a broken pelvis and other minor injuries sustained in the fall.
This teen’s cat rescue echoes a tabby fighting to survive after being pulled from freezing snow.
He was commended for his good deed.
The elderly neighbor’s family told CBC News, “Our family is so appreciative of what Nolan and Nicholas did for our mother to save her life.”
Cumberland-Colchester MP Stephen Ellis, proud to have young men of such outstanding character, awarded the Smith brothers with honors for their acts that saved a community member's life.
“What a great act of kindness,” the certificate read. “Your compassion for others and heroic actions are sure to bring you nothing but success in the years to come.”
"What a great act of kindness."
Nolan said, “I feel pretty good that I helped her and that she’s OK now.”
While Nolan and his brother are the heroes of this story, Nolan would not have been in the right location at the right moment if it hadn't been for the strange black cat that drew him into the cold in the first place. This is just another story that demonstrates the superiority of cats.
Whether they realize it or not, they're pawsome heroes.
Want more cat drama during disasters? See how a hurricane turned one woman’s “cruel” claim into chaos with her host.
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