I found this story on the ASPCA website and had to pass it along. It’s a beautiful example of how devoted, intelligent, and sensitive animals are.

ASPCA Success Story of the Week: Love Hurts

Rebecca Shaw of Portland, OR, knew her beloved Sascha, who passed away in 2007, was a rare feline. “She loved to play tag with my two cockatiels, play fetch with flip flops and took walks with me on a harness and leash,” says Rebecca. “We got lots of stares and waves.”

But something else told the new mom that this singular feline had come to her for a reason. Rebecca was living with diabetes and soon discovered that Sascha knew to alert her just before a seizure was about to occur. “If I was going low during the night, she would slide under the covers and find a toe to bite to wake me so I could test my blood sugar,” she reports. “Sascha was accurate 99 percent of the time after our first year together.”

As for this feline’s bedside manner? In a word, persistent. “If I ignored her,” remembers Rebecca with a smile, “she’d bite my behind and run into the bathroom, knowing that I’d follow her.” These sharp little warnings gave Rebecca an average of thirty minutes before a seizure set in.

Though Sascha’s job at home was her top priority, this dedicated nurse needed a little TLC herself. “She gave a very petite meow when she wanted attention,” says Rebecca. “Then she’d hop into my lap, put a paw on either side of my neck and lay her head down on my left shoulder, purring all the while, as though she was giving me a hug.”