Two cats living at a new development in Gateshead visited the local sales office, alerting staff to their owners unexpected health scare.
Dr. Sarah Clements, 25, originally form Chelmsford, had suffered a cardiac arrest after being taken to hospital by friends who became concerned when she took ill.
The next day, feline friends Marty and Ralph came to visit Gill Carter, Sales Executive at Linden Homes Trilogy I site, highlighting the fact that all was not quite right.
She said: “The cats were loitering beside the office door and it seemed unusual so I went outside to take a look. I followed the cats over to Sarah’s house and decide to knock to see if she was home but got no answer.
“Sarah works shifts, so I didn’t think too much about it at first but the cats persisted in sitting next to the office and were still there the next day when I arrived to work. When I couldn’t reach Sarah on the phone, I decided to call her mum – who I got to know when Sarah was buying her home – to see that everything was ok.”
It was then that Gill found out what had happened. Sarah’s friends – also doctors – had become concerned for her wellbeing and took the decision to drive her to the hospital. She suffered a seizure on the way and went into cardiac arrest. The medical team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital resuscitated her for 50 minutes, eventually saving her life and although she was in a coma in intensive care, her condition was improving.
Continued Gill: “I was obviously shocked when I heard the news, as it isn’t the kind of thing you expect to happen to someone so young. With Sarah’s family living far away in Essex and clearly having more pressing concerns, I offered to look after the cats and they came to stay with me.”
Thankfully, Sarah has since made a remarkable recovery. Both Marty and Ralph are now back at home and she said: “I owe a great deal of gratitude to the medical staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and to my doctor friends who were luckily visiting and took action when I was unwell. Without both, I would not be here today. I’d also like to thank Gill for kindly stepping in and taking care of the cats. This meant that there was one less thing to worry about as I made my recovery.
“When I was allowed home from hospital – initially for just a few hours at a time – Gill would bring the cats over so they could sit with me, before taking them back to her house again in the evening. They have been very well looked after and I really appreciate her help.
“There is the old adage that cats have nine lives but I can honestly say that I am just thankful to have this one.”