Cats given kiss of life by firemen

Six pet cats were given the kiss of life by firemen after being overcome by smoke when fire broke out at a house. The crews used breathing apparatus adaptors usually reserved for babies, to revive the animals who were found lying unconscious in the smoke-logged building.

A seventh cat died in the fire which started in the kitchen of the house in Firs Close, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

A spokesman for Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said that crews battled their way into the smoke-filled room to recover the animals.



"We were told about the cats and ran around the house in the thick smoke trying to locate them all," he said. "Unfortunately one of them, which had sheltered in the bathroom above the kitchen, was overcome by smoke and died.

"We took them outside and fitted them with baby oxygen masks. A few of them were unconscious or a little woozy but they soon came around."

A multi-plug adapter which overheated was believed to have caused the blaze which badly damaged the house.