One orange cat proved he’s smarter than his reputation after persistently waking his owner and alerting her to a gas leak.
Owner Rocky, who is known on Reddit as u/purplegoldcat, told Newsweek via email that the incident unfolded one morning after she had already gotten up to feed her three rescue cats—Craven, Alejandro and Shadowmoon—at 4:30 a.m., before heading back to bed, which is their normal routine. But this time, Alejandro refused to let her rest.
“When he started bothering me at 6 a.m., I kept removing him from the bed since it was too early for me to get up for work and I’d already served breakfast,” she said. “He was just so insistent, coming back right away for about five minutes.”
The cat’s meows were louder than usual, making her think something must’ve been wrong. She finally got up to kick him out of the room entirely. That’s when she smelled the gas. Following him to the kitchen, Rocky realized Alejandro had tried to alert her that the gas stove was on.
One of her worst fears came true. Rocky, who has always been uneasy about the gas stove, believes the incident happened because Shadowmoon, a curious 1-year-old, accidentally turned on the knob while exploring the counter.
She found the kitten in the middle of the kitchen, while Craven sat on the outskirts, clearly annoyed by the commotion at the time he normally goes back to bed, Rocky said. Luckily, everyone was safe.
Rocky shut off the stove as soon as she realized and opened the windows to vent the gas before collapsing on the couch, catching her breath after realizing how dangerous the situation could have been. She then gave Alejandro plenty of Churu treats for his bravery.
While the near-miss was frightening, what stood out most was Alejandro’s unexpected response.
“I was so surprised it was Alejandro who woke me up,” she said. “He’s the most shy, most easily startled and most likely to walk into a wall or fall off furniture or something else silly.”
Alejandro’s backstory makes his actions even more remarkable. Originally a stray from Tennessee, he was rescued and transferred to a Connecticut animal shelter, where Rocky eventually adopted him. He lives with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and lost all of his teeth to dental disease. He also has lasting neurological effects from surviving meningitis.
Despite those challenges, Rocky says he has always shown strong instincts—once catching a mouse without having any teeth. Still, she never expected him to recognize danger and act so decisively.
Gas stoves are a staple in many households, but a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights potential safety risks associated with their use. The report notes that gas stoves can emit pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter, which may accumulate indoors if ventilation is inadequate. While voluntary safety standards and building codes exist to reduce these risks, the GAO emphasizes that inconsistent regulations and variations in appliance design make ensuring safe use challenging.
In the wake of the scare, Rocky has taken extra precautions, purchasing childproof safety locks for her stove knobs to help prevent accidental activation in the future.
Redditors React
Her Reddit post on the subreddit channel r/cats quickly gained traction, with more than 5,800 reactions and 92 comments, as many users praised Alejandro’s persistence and called him a hero.
“Not so dumb, pretty smart and pretty handsome!” wrote one user.
Another added: “That is a hero cat! I am glad he didn’t let you sleep. Amazing how they know what to do when things go wrong. Good boi, orange!
A third person said: “The braincell was with him this day. What a good boy.”
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