How My Cat Made Me a Better Fireman
People assume that firefighters learn their skills from rigorous training, grizzled veterans, and years of experience. In my case, the credit belongs largely to a twelve-pound orange cat named Walter. Walter never attended fire academy. Walter never read a safety manual. Walter's understanding of emergency preparedness consisted mainly of knocking things off tables to see what happened. Yet I am convinced he made me a better fireman. It began with his fascination for confined spaces. No cardboard box was too small. No cabinet was too crowded. No shelf was too high. If there existed a location that appeared inaccessible to all known forms of life, Walter considered it a personal challenge. One afternoon he vanished. After a frantic search of the house, I found him peacefully sleeping inside a kitchen drawer that had been closed for at least an hour. To this day, I have no theory. A month later he somehow became trapped behind a bookcase. The following week he locked himself in a bat...