Save a cat's life - use the Heimlich Manuever!

Sandy, a friend of mine, emailed me a true story and I will post it here:

Around 1982 , the girls were 10 and 14, we owned a very lovable, furry ,
talkative, orange striped, main coon cat named Tigger. I had
determined that I would keep him healthier and live longer if he only ate hard
cat food----not many treats, or milk. Well, my girls were always wanting
to share some of their food with him, and since he was pretty much a glutton,
one day he could not turn them down when they gave him chunks of cooked
chicken. He started to eat with such gusto, he basically inhaled some of
the pieces, which had some skin on them. Apparently, some of the chicken
got lodged, and he began to heave, but nothing came out--------the girls started
yelling that something was wrong with Tigger and to come here. By the time
I came to them, he was laying on his side, eyes staring, gagging and
heaving, but could not breath. The girls were in hysterics, we thought he would
suffocate right in front of us on the kitchen floor. I do not know what
possessed me to do this , but I got on my knees on the floor,sat
backward, laid him belly up on my lap, and put my hands around his
chest , with his forearms and paws draped over my hands. I then with firmness,
gave him a quick squeeze and released, I did it again and out popped the
particles of chicken and stretchy skin. He started to breath again and
laid for a minute quietly on the floor, with the girls crying and stroking his
fur. I got him a bowl of water and he drank it. I cleaned up the mess, and after
a few minutes he was on his feet again. And you will never guess what he
did next. He started rubbing up against the girls legs again, in and out,
in and out, and meowing for more treats. We could not believe it-------he acted
like nothing had even happened to him. We got the biggest laugh
from that dumb kitty.---------that is it Sheila, --------he was a really cool
cat.

Quite a story, isn't it? Maybe this will save a cat's life. I am not sure I would have had the sense to try it before reading this, but I would now. Just an added note about Sandy - we have been friends since the 4th grade and that was a long time ago. Anyone who has a friend like her in this life can count themselves among the very luckiest. Friends like her don't come along very often.
Sheila