A cat uncharacteristically scratching at the couple’s door is being hailed a hero for his warning to them.
One night, after a couple closed their door and went to bed, Alana Falk heard one of the cats scratching at the bedroom door. It was Trident, the couple’s nearly 4-year-old cat. Falk told Newsweek via TikTok that her husband, a firefighter, insists on keeping the bedroom doors closed at night and because no cat wants to be stuck inside, their fur babies aren’t allowed in the room.
Falk noted it was a bit strange to hear Trident wanting to enter the room. He has nights when he will meow at the door for “one more pet,” but something was different this time.
“He was meowing and scratching at the door incessantly,” she said. “I could tell something was wrong because he sounded almost panicked.”
@crazy_falkin_life/TikTok
Trident “fell” into the room as she opened the door. Then he hopped up and ran toward the steps, leading them to the kitchen. Falk could smell something that reminded her of a burning chemical.
Her husband went to investigate and soon after, he opened the dishwasher to discover a piece that had fallen off and landed on the heating element. It began melting. Trident warned the couple about the malfunction, potentially saving them from something worse.
Falk shared in her March 30 TikTok video under the account @crazy_falkin_life that her husband wasn’t too convinced about Trident’s heroic actions.
“…many people, including my husband, say he didn’t ‘save’ us and that at the most he saved the dishwasher from being destroyed,” she said. “I still say he saved us and the other cats and our dog because the fumes were so strong as soon as I opened the bedroom door.”
To constantly remind her husband that Trident became “a little hero,” Falk made a photo and placed it on the mantel. It shows Trident standing proudly in front of a fire, representing how he saved the house from the potential tragedy.
“When my husband saw it, he rolled his eyes and laughed,” she said. “…Even though my husband says he doesn’t like the cats, I catch him petting them and talking to them when he thinks I’m not looking.”
With more than 231,700 views and 51,600 likes by Wednesday, TikTok users flooded the comment section with their praise.
“YES TRIDENT!!! 100 percent knew and saved you. Thank you for listening,” said a viewer.
A second added: “The mantle pic. Trident definitely saved yall! He knew something was up. Such a smart baby.”
While Trident’s ability to warn his family stunned people, others shared experiences of their animals stepping in to save the day. Someone wrote: “My cat alerted me when the gas nozzle was on. He’s the one who turned it on, but at least he told me.”
Another shared: “Animals know!! My birds alerted us when there was a gas leak. They saved us.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.