Edmond Resident Credits Cat For Saving His Life

<p>An Edmond home went up in flames early Tuesday&nbsp;morning and the man who lives there says he&rsquo;s only alive because his cat woke him up to warn him of the fire.&nbsp;</p>

Tuesday, June 6th 2017, 1:59 pm



An Edmond home went up in flames early Tuesday morning and the man who lives there says he’s only alive because his cat woke him up to warn him of the fire. 

Harley McMahan says he was just dozing off in his home on Mistletoe Lane, when his cat, Simba, started making quite a fuss. 

"My cat started meowing real loud like someone was hurting him,” McMahan said, “So I opened it and I saw him just screaming at me with a puffed tail, and I see black smoke billowing out from the stairwell."

So McMahan took off. 

"Grabbed my phone. He bolted the other way. I went downstairs. Couldn't see anything. Lot of black smoke."

McMahan says he knows it’s hard to believe, but his cat saved his life.

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I wasn't there. If, I don't know, if he wouldn't have notified me I don't think I would have gotten out of there," McMahan said. 

"I've never heard of a cat (warning a person of a fire) to be honest with you. I would say it's not out of the ordinary for animals to wake their owners up if they sense danger," interim Chief Christopher Denton of the Edmond Fire Department said.

Neighbors reported smelling a chemical smell in the air and hearing several explosions that sounded like gunshots during the fire. Investigators haven’t yet determined the cause of the fire, but two people were arrested on the scene on warrants for auto theft and drugs, unrelated to the fire. 

McMahan says everything he lost can be replaced; everything but his beloved Simba. He hasn’t seen Simba since the fire and doesn’t know whether the cat escaped and is hiding somewhere in the woods. 

"I don't think I could have ever asked for a better cat than Simba,” McMahan said. “He was a Godsend."

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

June 6th, 2017

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024