Firefighter saves cat with mouth-to-mouth

Cat saved with mouth to mouth resuscitation

Firefighter saves cat with mouth-to-mouth

See second video below also

NEW BEDFORD — Acts of bravery and courage come with the territory of a firefighter, but Al Machado might have broken new ground Tuesday when he saved a house cat with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Sweating and breathing heavily from fighting the fire, Mr. Machado was still making faces and picking fur from his mouth when he told a reporter there wasn't much hesitation involved. He had rescued the cat from a burning, second-floor apartment on Summer Street "and it really needed air and it couldn't wait," he said.

So he began mouth-to-mouth breathing on the cat as he carried it out to the sidewalk, where police and paramedics were ready with oxygen, and left it with them while he went back inside the apartment. Paramedics administered oxygen while he was inside the building and, at the next opportunity, Mr. Machado resumed mouth-to-mouth, and the cat, a tiger angora, revived and was resting comfortably in the animal rescue van, awaiting a ride to the veterinarian.

Asked what it tasted like giving the breath of life to a cat, Mr. Machado just laughed, grimaced and said, "Like fur."

No one was injured in the fire at 562 Summer St., a three-decker just north of Interstate 195. The blaze was called in by the third-floor tenant, the only person in the building at the time, who escaped with his dog. The first-floor tenant's pets all were saved: two dogs, three cats, a chinchilla, a ferret and some frogs.

On the second floor, two pit bulls were saved with the help of oxygen from paramedics and animal rescue officers, but two cats died in the apartment, which had heavy damage, especially in a bedroom area where fire officials said the blaze started. The third cat was saved by Mr. Machado, who was praised by District Chief Michael Brodeur as a dog lover who doesn't hesitate when an animal needs help.

The state fire marshal was called in to investigate the midday fire, which is being treated as suspicious, said Chief Brodeur. But the building was saved, with some smoke damage on the third floor and water damage on the first, in addition to the damage on the second floor.

Source HERE