My cat saved my life in the most bizarre way.

I have a cat named Felix. He is an absolutely adorable cat, he’s black all over with white patches on his nose and stomach. When I got him he was just a little kitten, I named him Felix because we all thought he was a female cat (I’ve grown up around cats my whole life, it’s not my fault haha). My family and I live in a nice little house with a big yard. We spend most of our time outdoors, either in the yard or in the woods. We’re very connected to nature, so we’ve always had lots of animals. <br><br>Felix has been my cat for about three years now. He’s gotten to the point where he’s not a little ball of fluff, but he’s also not a big cat either. He’s just right in the middle. My room is right next to the stairs and next to Felix’s favorite window perch. It’s perfect for him, he can look out the window and watch birds or he can look down the stairs and watch the rest of the family. Every night around 9:30 I put Felix in my room and shut the door. He sleeps most of the night, but around 3 am he likes to walk around my room and meow so I gently toss some treats on the ground and he scurries around eating them. Then the rest of the night he just sleeps. He usually does this twice, first at 3 am and then again at 6 am. <br><br>One night I was awoken by Felix running around my room, jumping onto my desk and knocking everything off. It was around 5 am. I was groggy and startled, so gently I got out of bed and put Felix in his carrier. I took him outside and gently placed him on the ground. I shut the door and locked it so he couldn’t get back in. I was a little angry, but I calmed down and went back to sleep.<br><br>I slept in until 9 am. I was very excited for the day, I was going over to my friend Peyton’s house to study. She’s my best friend, we’re in the same grade and have 3 classes together. My mom made me some toast and I got in my car and drove over to Peyton’s house. She lives just a few blocks away from me. <br><br>I got to Peyton’s house and we said our hellos. We sat down on her bed and started studying. Later that day we took a break and went in the backyard with her dog. It was fun, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Felix. I scolded him so harshly earlier, I felt bad. I told Peyton about the situation and she told me to text my mom telling her to give Felix treats, she said yes and told me she was sorry for scaring Felix. <br><br>I stopped thinking about it, and started thinking about other things. Peyton and I were in the backyard when her mom called us inside for lunch. <br><br>It was around 2 o’clock when Peyton and I were done eating. This is when things started going downhill. I got a text from my older brother. It read “come home, there’s been an accident.” I immediately thought the worst. The first thing I thought of was my mom. Then I thought of my dad. I started panicking as I read Peyton the message. She immediately offered to drive me home. We dropped her dog off at home then left. I called my brother, he told me he couldn’t tell me what had happened over the phone and to just get home as soon as possible. <br><br>Peyton and I didn’t talk much on the drive, we mostly just sat in silence. I was too worried to speak. I was thinking of all the worst possible things that could’ve happened. When we turned onto my street I immediately knew something was wrong. I could smell smoke. I looked over to my house and that’s when it hit me. <br><br>My house was on fire. <br><br>I jumped out of the car and ran over to my house. I was so scared, I was sweaty and my stomach hurt. I had never felt this way before. I was terrified for my family. I ran to the front door, but my brother was already there. “Lena, stop! Our family is okay!” He yelled. I stopped, partially relieved. My family was okay. I thought about my cat. A rush of realization hit me as my brother grabbed me by the shoulders and held me in place. <br><br>My family was okay, but Felix was in the house, and it was on fire. <br><br>I started crying, partially because of the burn smell and partially because I was so upset. Peyton came over and hugged me, then my brother hugged me too. I was so scared and worried, I started shaking. <br><br>My family came over to me, my dad, mom, and little sister were all there. They hugged me and we all cried together. We went over to our neighbors house and they gave us all a blanket. I told them I was so sorry about the house, they just laughed and said it happens. My mom told me they’d called the fire department so we just waited and watched. <br><br>My mom kept glancing at me, I could tell she was worried about me. My sister was crying because she couldn’t find her favorite stuffed animal. My dad was just holding my mom and sis. I was comforting myself by talking to my brother. He was telling me that he was okay, and that he was sorry. I asked him what had happened and he told me the whole story. <br><br>Around 10, my brother had woken up to go to the bathroom. When he got out he could smell a burning. He went to check it out and realized it was downstairs coming from the kitchen. He ran downstairs and turned on the light, and that’s when he saw the stove was on fire. He ran back upstairs and woke everyone up. They all ran outside and called the fire department. They were going to go back inside to check for me, but they remembered I was at Peyton’s house. They didn’t forget about Felix, they called for him, but he never came. <br><br>As my brother was telling me the story, the fire department showed up. Peyton and I watched as they tried to stop the fire. I cried as I watched my house burn. They eventually put out the fire, but not before my room was completely destroyed. My whole family was in tears as we watched. <br><br>We stayed at my neighbors house for a few days. We were all just in shock. Felix was gone, and our home was destroyed. I cried about it for a while, then I started realizing that I could’ve been in that house. If Felix hadn’t woken me up I could’ve been there, I could’ve died. I stopped crying and started thinking about it more and more. Then I realized that if Felix hadn’t knocked everything off in the first place I could’ve been hurt even worse. Maybe the floor would’ve caved in on me, maybe I would’ve had a burning piece of wood land on me, maybe I would’ve gotten smoke inhalation and not been able to make it out. <br><br>If Felix hadn’t done what he did, I could’ve been hurt very badly. He saved me. He saved my life. <br><br>I’m grateful for my cat. He may have knocked over some stuff, but he’s still the love of my life and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. He saved my life. <br><br>If you have a pet, make sure you love them with all your heart. You never know what they could do.