85-year-old man whispered a silly phrase to his cat after a fall left him stranded in shower for hours — his pet’s unexpected reaction saved his life

Though he hadn’t planned on a pet, a friend gifted him a male cat to keep him company in his golden years.

PUBLISHED OCT 28, 2025

(L) Senior man in pain on the floor after a fall, (R) A young black cat looks up before he leaps onto a box. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Goodboy Picture Company, (R) Catherine Falls Commercial)

An old man credits his life to his pet cat after it saved him from a life-threatening crisis. Ron Williams, who lives alone in his Michigan home, had tripped in the bathroom and was stranded in there for hours. With every passing minute, the hope of making it out alive dwindled until Williams had a crazy idea. He uttered a silly phrase to his pet cat, who was in the room with him, that saved his life. Now, the cat is being hailed as a hero in his neighborhood while his owner remains indebted to his dear feline.

An old man sitting on sofa and petting a black and white cat. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Fat Camera)

Williams, then 85, lived with his cat named Fluffy in Sturgis. While he had no intention of getting a pet, a friend gifted him a male cat to keep him company in his old age. Williams, who had served in the US Army in Korea, did not mind; rather, the duo hit it off right away. “I looked at him and, hey, I just fell in love with him,” the man told Fox17 in 2020.

Medium-haired White and Black Cat on Tub.
(Representative Image Source: Pexels | Jenna Hamra) — Medium-haired White and Black Cat on Tub. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Jenna Hamra)

One morning, Williams slipped and fell while stepping out of the shower and pinned his arm under him. The accident left him in a compromised state as he struggled to move. He lay there for 16 hours straight, from morning to midnight, trying to figure out a way out. His Life Alert was on the charger in another room, but his phone lay on the bathroom counter.

A Sick Elderly Man Lying Down on a Sofa. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | SHVETS production)

Only if he could reach it with his hand, but Williams could not move a finger. Then, a sudden realization helped turn the crisis around. Fluffy was present with him, and Williams uttered the phrase, “Ring-a-ding.” The cat quickly recognized the words and did something extraordinary that helped save his owner’s life. “I said, ‘Ring-a-ding, Fluffy. You’re my only hope.' And he was. It wasn’t even five minutes later I felt something hit my hand. And I’m here because of it,” the pet owner admitted during the interview. Fluffy had passed over the phone to his owner in a life-saving feat. Williams was emotional but still grateful for his cat’s quick thinking. Every time his cellphone would ring, the owner would joke, saying ‘Ring-a-ding’ to his cat.

He could never have guessed that Fluffy had learned the cue and would be prepared for a situation like that. Williams’ heart was filled with gratitude for his furry friend and could not seem to imagine his life without him. “What if he wouldn’t have been in there with me? I’d be dead today,” the owner said, choking up. “He’s my hero, and he always will be.” Following the incident, Williams promised that Fluffy would never be away from him until his last breath. He made a full recovery with minor bruises and soreness, while thanking his lucky stars and heroic cat.

Laura Cassiday, CCBC, owner of Pawsitive Vibes Cat Behavior and Training in Baltimore, explained that cats can recognize words in human language, as a 2022 study had found that the felines also remember the names of their fellow cats, per PetMD.