Kinnelon, NJ – While historically coal miners had canaries to detect carbon monoxide, a local couple has Chloe, the cat.
Cheryl Canale, a volunteer and treasurer of the Kinnelon Volunteer Animal Shelter (KVAS), credits her foster cat, Chloe, with potentially saving her and her husband’s lives when carbon monoxide (CO) reached elevated levels in their home.
Earlier this fall, the couple returned from a vacation and had a bit of difficulty starting their furnace up. They hit a reset button, but it failed to start the oil heating system. They made an appointment for a service call, but the company could not come that night.
When Canale awoke the next morning at 5, she said Chloe was agitatedly meowing in the bathroom where she sleeps. The bathroom contains a heat vent. It was not the standard common a.m. meowing of a hungry cat demanding to be fed. Instead of going back to sleep, Canale got up because of Chloe’s persistent cries. When she entered a hallway, she could see a smoky haze. Apparently, the furnace had attempted to restart itself during the night, but was unable to ignite and released CO.
Soon after Chloe’s commotion, the security alarm system in the home went off and noted the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide. Police, firefighters, and Smoke Rise Security personnel arrived and told them to exit the home. Concerned because they would not be able to quickly herd the several cats that she is fostering in their home, they opened windows to let fresh air in before they went outside. Firefighters monitored the house for CO and told them when it was safe to go back inside. The service call revealed a faulty starter that caused the burner to throw off smoke and carbon, but no heat.
Canale said the experience underscored the importance of having operational CO detectors with fresh batteries in homes and the need to listen to pets when they seem alarmed or out of sorts. After the incident occurred, Canale took to the Internet where she saw numerous stories about cats and dogs alerting their owners to dangerous CO levels.
At a Nov. 19 Borough Council meeting, Councilman Adam Barish, who chairs the council’s public safety committee, said there has been a recent increase in CO calls, which is not unusual as homeowners fire up their heating systems for the first time this season. Residents should check to see if their home’s flues and chimneys are clear. Although CO detector’s sensors are supposed to have a 10-year lifespan, Barish said local firefighters think it is prudent to replace the alarms after seven years.
Chloe, the hero cat, happens to be one of the shelter’s cats that are up for adoption. She is a black long-haired cat who is normally shy, but was not so shy when CO filled the air. According to Canale, Chloe also has many friends that would like to find a home for Christmas, including Brady and Phaedo, sweet male cats that have bonded while living in the shelter; Twix, an absolute gem of a girl with a great look and an interesting voice; and Ziggy, who is a “ball of fire.”
The shelter has several cats available ranging from 4 months to 4 years in age. For an appointment to meet the cats ready for adoption, call 973-283-4120 or email: shelter@kvasnj.org. Additionally, KVAS brings an assortment of cats for adoption to PETCO at the Meadtown Shopping Center in Kinnelon on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.