Lucky escape for six-week-old kitten rescued from a burning house and later resuscitated

Paramedic Kim Saunders with Smokey the kitten whom she helped rescue from a house fire by giving her oxygen from a baby’s mask. Source: News Corp Australia

IT IS a good thing cats have nine lives because this lucky kitten used up about eight of them when its lifeless body was dragged from a burning home only to be resuscitated by paramedics using a baby’s oxygen mask.

Smokey, as he was aptly named, was saved from a house fire about 11.10pm on Friday night.

Bombaderry resident Kim Sauders was the paramedic at the scene. She saw the firefighter walk out of the home waving their arms at her. “At first I thought he had burnt his hands, then I saw he was holding a kitten” Mrs Hense said.

Smokey the kitten being resuscitated by paramedics after rescue from a house fire. Source: Supplied

As the firefighter left the property the kitten stopped purring, the firefighter put his mouth over the kitten’s and started performing CPR before alerting paramedics.

Mrs Saunders said she took the kitten inside the ambulance and applied oxygen.

“After 10-15minutes he started meowing again. I pulled off the mask and he pulled it straight back on, it was like he knew — he was enjoying it,” she said.

“When we first saw Smokey he was covered in black sludge, he looks and smells so much better now” Mrs Saunders said.

Smokey’s owner Marianne Hense, who was not home at the time, said she was “so relieved” Smokey was saved.

Kim Saunders with Smokey. Source: Supplied

“I don’t care about anything inside the house, only that my cats were safe” Mrs Hense said.

Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman Ian Krimmer said crews arrived to find the Kalandar St house, across the road from a Mobil service station, well alight.

He said crews wearing breathing masks entered the burning fibro property to search for occupants but no one was home at the time — except for a six-week-old kitten cowering under a bed.

A firefighter heard the kitten’s faint sounds of distress and began searching the floor on his hands and knees.

He eventually found it hiding under a bed but by the time he made it out the kitten had succumbed to smoke inhalation.

Paramedic Kim Saunders said the firefighter emerged holding what looked at first like a small object.

“His furry grey body was limp, the patches of white on his chest, face and paws barely recognisable through the soot,’’ she said.

Kim Saunders with Smokey who came to after 15 minutes on oxygen. Source: News Corp Australia

“The fire officer gave the kitten some rescue breaths before signalling to us and placing the kitten on the ground. He then ran back into the building.

“At first, we didn’t know what to do. I thought, ‘I’ll give it some oxygen and see what happens’.

“So we put on a paediatric mask with some oxygen, dried the kitten off and wrapped him up.’’

After about 15 minutes the little kitten came to and actually started purring.

“At one stage his head popped off the mask but he put it back in so he must have been enjoying it,’’ Ms Saunders said.

She said the home’s owner was visiting down the street and returned to the scene to find at least her kitten had been saved.

“We took the kitten over to her,’’ she said.

“You could still feel it purring through the towel. She gave it a little kiss.’’

A veteran paramedic of 15 years it was not the first time Ms Saunders had been involved in rescuing a pet.

Two weeks ago she rescued a Labrador puppy which had been cornered by foxes and on New Year’s Eve she saved a puppy running dangerously along the Princes Highway at South Nowra.

“My sister is a former veterinary nurse — she says I missed my calling,’’ Ms Saunders said.