Cat saved from house fire given oxygen by rescuers

Published on Sunday 13 April 2008 21:48

A STRICKEN cat was resuscitated using a child's oxygen mask after getting caught in a house fire yesterday.

Three cats and a dog were rescued by firefighters after a blaze ripped through the property in Dundee yesterday afternoon.

The pets were pulled safely from the fire, but one black and white cat was overcome by smoke, so firefighters administered oxygen using a mask designed for a child until it regained consciousness.

The animals' owners – who were not at home at the time of the fire – have since taken the cat to see a vet. Its current condition is unknown.

Tayside Fire Service watch manager Fred Cochrane said: "One of the cats was a bit poorly, so we administered oxygen, which we usually save for human beings. We used a child-sized mask, which fits nicely over the cat's face."

He added: "It is quite unusual."

The fire started in the kitchen of the property on Baluniefield Road at around 2:50pm, and caused serious smoke damage.