On a cold November night in New York City, a couple shares a studio apartment with Cosmo the tuxedo cat.  He was adopted from a shelter just a month earlier and being young was prone to mischief.

In the wee hours, he wakes the husband with a meow and gets some food in his dish to quiet him.  Snuggly under covers again, this man hopes to sleep soon.  His hope is dashed as the little “he cat” jumps on the bed. Not wanting his wife to be wakened, he dutifully picks up Cosmo and brings him back to the dish of cat food.Rattling  dry cat food in this plastic dish seems to hold the cat’s attention.  Off to bed a second time!  Enjoying warmth under blankets and happy for his wife’s peaceful sleep, he nods off. Cosmo jumps on the bed and wakens him with claws sunk deeply into the covers. Angrily rising, he follows the energetic cat, with steely determination to lock the mischief maker in the bathroom so that sleep can be revisited.

Dizzied by what seemed to be arising too quickly, the man stumbles into the kitchen.  The cat is nowhere to be seen!

As the scanning continues and the head is pounding, glow of cat eyes is seen on the stove top.  “Cosmo you’ll burn yourself on the pilot lights, you dumb cat!” The cat remains stoic. The man slides both hands under the cat but can’t lift the 10 pound feline.  Why is Cosmo fighting me?

As his head swirls, he noticed the cool stovetop.  Both pilot lights are out for a while and the studio is filling with gas!  What to do first? Cosmo jumps down as he thinks “no sparks so no light switches“.  He stumbles back to the bed and his wife won’t awaken.Throwing open the bedside window, cold air rushing in, he turn her soft face to the window sill.  Fresh air jolts her out of sleep!  “What are you doing?” she asks. I explain “we have gas in the apartment” and ask for her help.  As she arises Cosmo jumps on the sill. We hug our little hero. 

Refreshed with cold night air, we find a flashlight and he takes it out onto the fire escape.  Outdoors and away from gas, he lit up the little red flashlight and reentered the studio. This light helps navigate us to the hall closet. We find a pipe wrench and go the cold stove.

The heavy weight of the stove yields to our pull and slides forward.  The gas valve turns slowly shut as the wrench is applied.  As the studio is vented out, the couple hugs the tuxedo cat all the more! We held a feast for Cosmo that Thanksgiving!  He paraded a turkey bone too heavy for him around the studio in a ‘victory lap’!!!

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