Florida family credits cat with saving them from carbon monoxide poisoning

Bella the cat's incessant meowing saved the life of Paul and Leona Jones of Volusia County, Florida, the family says.

Last Wednesday night, Paul and Leona came home from dinner in a rush, and after parking their car in the garage, forgot to push the off button, CBS Miami reports. The car emitted carbon monoxide for hours, and the couple inhaled it without realizing. At about 1 a.m., Bella started meowing loudly, and Paul, with carbon monoxide built up in his bloodstream, was barely roused awake.

An extremely weak Leona was able to call 911, and firefighters rushed to the scene, where they gave oxygen to Paul, Leona, and Bella. To make sure this never happens again, the Joneses installed carbon monoxide detectors in the house and put up signs in the garage reminding themselves to turn off the car.

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If Bella hadn't started meowing, alerting the family to danger, "we would have slept through it and never woken up," Leona told CBS Miami.