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In the latest from adorable contraptions for pets, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) now have special mini oxygen masks for cats and other furry friends. Fitting perfectly over felines' diddy faces, the new contraptions are the first of their kind to be used by LFB.
The kits are designed to be used on animals rescued from fires who have inhaled smoke.
On Friday afternoon two moggies were rescued from a house fire in Paddington, with one of them being revived by the contraption that was donated to the fire fighters by Smokey Paws, a non-profit organisation.
According to LFB, London firefighters have attended over 100 fires involving pets since 2019. Up until now fire fighters have had to improvise when resuscitating our smol friends.
The kit includes three differently sized masks, two rope leads, and two muzzles and can be used on all kinds of pets, including cats, dogs, rabbits, snakes and even mice.
Nathan Beeby, a station officer who was at the Paddington rescue, said: 'Having something specially designed made so much difference as the mask is properly sealed around the animal's muzzle and all the oxygen is going into their lungs.' He added that the gadget 'ultimately saved the cat's life'.
These new masks are part of a trial being rolled out across Hammersmith, Richmond, Battersea and Paddington. If it’s a success, fire stations across London will be provided with the specialist kits.
Dave O'Neill, the Brigade's deputy assistant commissioner for operational policy said: 'Of course a firefighter's priority is always to save human life, but we know how precious people's pets are to them.We also know owners will put their own lives at risk by trying to return to a burning building to rescue them.
'We know there's been an increase in people getting pets during the pandemic and we are likely to see more animals involved in incidents, so we needed to improve our ability to respond appropriately.'
So it's good news for pets across London. We hope the rescued kitties are back to living the good life of purring and sleeping a lot very soon.
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