Tipper, the Cat Who Called 911

September 26, 2026

Tipper, the Cat Who Called 911

In 1996, Tipper got himself into trouble while home alone, but he also managed to call for help.

In July 1996, a 9-month-old cat named Tipper was home alone in Tampa, Florida, when he got himself into serious trouble. He tried to slip out of his flea collar and got part of it stuck in his mouth. He started choking, and there wasn't anyone around to help him out.

However, a telephone was nearby. Somehow, Tipper knocked the phone off the hook and stepped on a speed-dial button that his owner, Gail Curtis, had set up to call 911. The call actually went through.

It’s unclear whether Tipper knew what he was doing, but reports said it happened "by luck or design." Either way, the emergency dispatcher heard the cat's distressed sounds and sent help right away.

Within minutes, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Bamford arrived at the house and found Tipper lying on the floor with the collar still stuck in his mouth. Bamford and a handyman wrapped the cat in a towel and removed the collar.

Tipper turned out to be just fine. The whole story made headlines because it’s not every day a cat calls 911. A few months later, Tipper made the news again after he went missing for two days but came back safe and sound. By that time, everyone knew which Tipper they were talking about: the cat who called 911.