FIRE: Christmas Eve catsitting scary story

[phesina]

I work some as a petsitter. Tthe big family holidays are times when you are very busy, because those are the times people go somewhere and need someone to look after their pets..

So among a few others I have this one now, a house with 12 cats. The owner is a lovely retired widower whose wife was a long-time volunteer at our shelter. I've looked after their cats for years. He and his new lady-friend are in England and Portugal for a couple of weeks.

So I was coming up towards the house this afternoon.. saw all these fire trucks down the street..

THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE.

Long day, very nerve-wracking and tiresome.. too long to go into the story now.

BUT... THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO TELL YOU NOW:

ALL 12 CATS ARE SAFE AND SOUND!!!!!

More later.. when I am more up to it.

Cheers! and love ,
Pat, Sydney, Poppy, Elmer, Bob, and Sparkler


P.S., MERRY CHRISTMAS! Hug and schmoozle and skritch your beloved fur kids right now, because you never know what might happen...

[chocolatepuppy]

Oh no, that's awful! Thank goodness all 12 cats are safe!

[katladyd]

Thank God all those precious furbabies are safe! Is the gentleman on his way home now? I know I would be!

[phesina]

Between the firefighters, the police, the emergency vets, the neighbor and good friend, and myself, everything is under control. One of the cats, Lavinia, was slightly singed and is at the emergency vets' overnight. I took her in. She's stable and okay for now, but they want to watch her for smoke inhalation and any other damage that might not be immediately apparent.

Simon (the owner) and I will be talking more as things progress. (Aren't cell phones marvelous?!) The fire was mostly contained to one room, which the cats don't normally get into anyway.

I found 8 of the 12 cats pretty quickly, but the other 4 were still missing when Lavinia and I went to the vet's. Lavinia is being kept overnight, and we'll decide where to go from there. She is a very elderly lady with already a whole lot of things going on.

A couple hours later, after we were done checking her out there and consulting with Simon over the phone, I went back to the house to see that the others had food and water and litterboxes. During that time, the other four turned up. HALLELUJAH! OH, THANK GOD.

THANK GOD: Someone walking down the street saw the smoke and called the fire department RIGHT AWAY. The house is a big old wooden structure and would have gone up like a bonfire, cats and all, if it had had much more time to burn.

[Grace]

Pat, I just read about that in A2.com. What a nightmare that must have been for you and those poor kitties.

It said one of the cats was at the Vet Emergency. But the other 11 - where are they now?

[Freedom]

Oh my! I am so glad to read that ALL the cats got out. Prayers that Lavinia survives this scare. Sounds like she will be ok.

Any info how the fire started?

[rg_girlca]

Wow I can only imagine how scared you were. Thank God all the cats are safe and sound. Prayers on the way that Lavinia will be okay and has a full recovery from this. Thank goodness the fire was contained to just one room and Bless the person for walking down the street at the right time in order to call the fire department right away.

[krazyaboutkatz]

How horrible and scary. I'm so glad to hear that all 12 cats survived the fire. Does any one know how the fire started? I too hope that Lavinia recovers quickly. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

[phesina]

Pat, I just read about that in A2.com. What a nightmare that must have been for you and those poor kitties.

It said one of the cats was at the Vet Emergency. But the other 11 - where are they now?

Gretchen, I didn't know we made the news!. I just looked at a2.com but couldn't find it. Do you have a URL for it?

The other kitties were all in different parts of the house. I found the four I hadn't seen earlier when I got back after leaving Lavinia at the vet's. I shut off the areas they shouldn't go to and let them free in the areas they are used to, then gave some more food, scooped the litter, and topped off the water dishes with a soda-bottle-full I brought from the vet's.

The electricity and furnace are working, but the WATER is shut off until Monday, so I will be bringing big jugs with me to give them to drink and to clean up the dishes as well as I can.

I just talked to the vet this morning. Lavinia is doing fine and will probably be discharged today. She was on oxygen for a while (to contend with possible carbon monoxide damage from the smoke), and she's been doing well since they took her off. They put her on some antibiotics. There are other symptoms, but they are mostly from things already going on with her.

I called Simon in Portugal, and he's going to call the vet and discuss what to do next. I have two other petsitting visits this morning (one elderly cat who needs to get FOUR pills -- two huge-- twice a day, and another who has to get sub-Q fluids), and then whenever it works best for Lavinia and the hospital I can come get her and bring her back home.

I haven't heard yet the official report on how the fire started. I have no idea myself. The room it started in is shut off from the cats.

That room is completely blackened and gutted. I CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO SAY HOW GRATEFUL I AM THAT IT'S ONLY THAT ROOM. Thank you, God!!!!! Again and again.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE, FOR ALL YOUR GOOD WISHES!!!!!

AND MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE!

,

[Barbara]

What a jorrible thing for poor Simon- to go on vacation and your house with 12 pets in it begins to burn!
I am so glad they are all ok. And I hope the house has no existential damage either.

[Laura's Babies]

This has tears in my eyes. God was watching over those babies is all I can say. OMG!! THANK GOD for looking after those babies!!!

[Grace]

HERE is the article from last evening. It does not appear to have been updated since then.

[chocolatepuppy]

A furkids parents worst nightmare, a fire and you are not home. MY eyes well up reading this again. Yes, thank God someone happened by. I'm happy to hear all the kitties are okay.

[phesina]

HERE is the article from last evening. It does not appear to have been updated since then.

Thanks, Grace. I just read it. Did you read the "comments" sent in by readers following the article? Sound like some Pet Talk threads! - "Only an insane person would live with twelve cats." and then "Only an insane person would have no cats."

I especially like this one, submitted by alert reader Andy Jacobs:
---------->
Andy Jacobs
Posted 9 hours ago

On the 12th day of Catmas,
my true love gave to me

Twelve cats a crying,
Eleven emergecy responders,
Ten sirens blaring,
Nine lives a leaping,
Eight neighbors watching,
Seven windows broken,
Six hundred gallons of water,

Five 911 Calls,

Four -ty thousand dollars damage,
Three emergency vehicles,
Two reporters typing,

And a story on Christmas Eve
----------------------

...a story with the ending ".. and they all lived happily ever after!"

[astrid]

OMG!!
Thank God everyone is fine, my prayers for Lavinia!!
God bless the person who called the Fire Departament and all the people who helped, especially YOU for taking care of the furbabies.

Merry Christmas to you and your kitties at home!