Family hails their cat as a ‘hero’ for saving them from a fire at midnight — while the guard dog slept through it all

They thought the puppy was the protector, but the real guardian wore whiskers.

PUBLISHED 18 HOURS AGO

(L) Positive family couple and cute little son cuddling furry pet, (R) Fire raging in domestic kitchen at night. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L)fizkes, (R)Michael Blann)

Cats have a reputation for being selfish and cold, while serving their owners is largely out of the picture. There’s always the watchdog, never the watch cat. However, a rare incident that unraveled in a town in Canada painted cats as the hero, while the dog species may have taken a hit in this one. Scott White was asleep in his bedroom when his cat, Joey, began pestering him in the middle of the night. Though it was atypical of him to do that, the owner figured there was something strange about the situation and went downstairs to check. It turned out that a fire was about to break out, as reported by HuffPost.

White and black cat on the bed at home. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Anita Kot)

White resided in his home in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador with his pet cat and dog. A few hours after he went to sleep, his cat began nudging him at 4:30 a.m. Joey paced around the bed and soon jumped on his chest to wake him up. “Usually, Joey doesn’t bother us when we sleep, but I could sense him pacing around the bed, and I woke up with a paw on my face,” White told the outlet. As he went to investigate, he realized the kitchen was filled with smoke.

A man making dinner in the kitchen, dinner has burnt (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | South_agency)

The night before, White had set some onions in the slow cooker to make some jam in the morning. But his plans were foiled, or rather burned. “There was a lot of haze in the kitchen, but not enough to alert the fire alarm about 20 feet away,” he recalled. "We went to bed around midnight, and it was fine. And then it wasn't fine when Joey found it,” White spoke to CBC. He went to the kitchen to turn off the pot and prevent a fire from breaking out. Had it not been for his cat, White and his family might have had to deal with the repercussions and ultimately call firefighters for help.

Small family cuddling their pet. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Capuski)

Surprisingly, White’s 10-month-old puppy never got a hint and slept through the potential disaster. “The dog was always in the window growling at people, so we thought he’d be a good watchdog,” the owner noted. White marked Joey as the “real hero” of the day, who enjoyed extra treats gifted by strangers to applaud his brave life-saving feat. Joey hails from a shelter where cats face the risk of euthanasia and was adopted by White from a rescue group in Toronto more than two years ago. Nevertheless, the family remains grateful for their cat’s alerting skills and intends to pay more attention to Joey’s signals.

Senior yellow lab takes a nap in a living room (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Ann Schwede) — Senior yellow lab takes a nap in a living room. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Ann Schwede)

According to Supertails, cats generally have faster reaction times compared to dogs. The typical reaction time is 20 to 70 milliseconds for cats, while dogs take anywhere from 100 to 200 milliseconds. “This speed helps cats outmaneuver dogs during play or in high-stress situations,” the report stated. Cat reflexes are one of the most important parts of their survival instincts and help them escape tricky situations.