Nolan Smith loves cats. So, when a black cat showed up in his Springhill, Nova Scotia, yard, of course, he wanted to say hello. And thanks to Nolan’s need to meet this feline visitor, the 13-year-old hero and his brother saved an elderly neighbor after she fell and broke her pelvis.
Braving the cold, Nolan went outside to meet the cat, and while walking around his yard to give the tricksy kitty pets, he heard a voice calling for help. Following the cries of distress, Nolan found his 93-year-old neighbor lying in her backyard injured and bleeding from the back of her head. Unable to get up after falling, she’d been lying on the hard ground in the freezing temps of a Canadian winter day for half an hour when Nolan found her and sprang into action.
Help Came Thanks To a Wandering Kitty
With snow on the ground and temps struggling to keep on the positive side, no one wants to be outside. Nolan included. Only a cat could get him outside on a day so cold. So, it turns out the black cat that drew him into his yard that day was a good luck charm for his injured neighbor.
Nolan talked with CBC News about the rescue and recalled the temperature being around 14 degrees F on that January day. And as he’d only come out for a chat with the cat, he was less than dressed for the cold, saying, “I went over there in my slippers.”
But hearing someone in trouble, he didn’t think about the cold, and as he explained, “I felt worried and nervous.”
When he found his neighbor in trouble, all his worries were shoved aside. Nolan immediately set about getting her to safety but found they would need a little more help, so he called his brother. 19-year-old Nicholas arrived in a hurry. Together, the Smith brothers moved the woman into warmer conditions and called 911. Emergency services transported her to a hospital, where she spent a few days recovering from a broken pelvis and other minor injuries caused by the fall.
The neighbor’s family told CBC News, “Our family is so appreciative of what Nolan and Nicholas did for our mother to save her life.”
Proud to have young men of such good character, Cumberland-Colchester MP Stephen Ellis presented the Smith brothers with certificates that honored them for the actions that saved a community member’s life.
“What a great act of kindness,” the certificate read. “Your compassion for others and heroic actions are sure to offer you nothing but success for the years to come.”
When asked how Nolan felt about the rescue, he said, “I feel pretty good that I helped her and that she’s OK now.”
While Nolan and his brother are the heroes of this tale, Nolan wouldn’t have been in that right place at the right time without the mysterious black cat that lured him into the cold. This story is another one that proves the greatness of cats. They’re furry heroes on paws, whether they realize it or not!
H/T: www.cbc.ca
Feature Image: CBC News via Leanna Killen-Leblanc