“They Were Not Breathing.” Singapore Firefighters Rescue 13 Cats From Blazing Fire.

First responders can never be certain about what awaits them when they enter someone’s home.

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Members of the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) recently made a shocking discovery when they responded to a fire on the second story of an apartment complex. After several failed attempts to get into the apartment, they had to break down the door. Inside, the air was thick with smoke.

After using compressed air foam backpacks to put out the fire, the crew began scanning the flat for anyone who needed assistance getting out. About 20 people were evacuated from neighboring units.

“So I was holding my thermal imager, we are walking around the unit finding the seat of the fire, but upon finding the seat of the fire, we actually see a lot of cats on the floor,” one firefighter reported. “It was really very sad to see so many cats on the floor, not moving much. They were all slumping on the floor and were motionless, so we immediately got my crew to bring them out. And we tried what we could to save them.”

“It wasn’t a pleasant sight,” agreed Corporal Marco Lim.

Firefighters formed a human chain to carry each unconscious cat to a nearby stairway landing they were using as a temporary triage area. There, they used oxygen masks made for humans to give the animals oxygen therapy. They also used CPR to keep their hearts beating and reduce the chance of brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.

“They were not breathing,” another firefighter recalled. “They had no pulse, so the three EMTs at the stair landing tried to revive them. We are not trained in animal CPR, but instinctively, we applied the same basic principle.”

Someone snapped a photo of them working to revive the cats, which instantly went viral online.

Thanks to their quick work, 13 of the 14 cats were saved. Their owner says they’re doing well and should recover. This team deserves every bit of internet recognition they’re getting! They went above and beyond that day, and we’re so grateful for their efforts!

We think these cats also used up one of their nine lives! Share this story if you agree.