Four cats pulled unconscious from apartment fire are revived with mouth-to-snout CPR

A dramatic rescue in Riverside County, California, showed a group of firefighters reviving four very fortunate cats after they got trapped in a fire.

The four cats were found unresponsive after an apartment fire, but firefighters brought them back with CPR and mouth-to-snout rescue breathing before reuniting them with their owner.

What happened?

By the time a neighbor told crews that pets were still inside the smoke-filled apartment, the fire itself had already been put out, Local 12 News reported. The video showed Riverside County firefighters moving quickly to go back in and find the four trapped cats.

Firefighters Dave Colombo and Ray Guillen located the animals under a bed. Guillen recalled how dire one cat looked: "As soon as I grabbed it, it fell over," he said. "You could tell it was in bad shape."

"I gave him mouth-to-snout and started rescue breathing for the cat, hoping to revive him and get him to start breathing again," Lewan said. 

The video showed firefighters carrying the limp cats outside, where Capt. Mark Lewan and other crew members began emergency care. The team used CPR techniques similar to those performed on infants and adjusted oxygen masks to fit the cats' faces.

Officials said all four cats survived, were returned to their owner, and are now recovering. No other injuries were reported.

Why does it matter?

Smoke inhalation can quickly become life-threatening for animals, even when flames never reach them directly. 

Fast action, specialized training, and simple tools such as pet-sized oxygen masks can mean the difference between life and death.

Pets get scared and don't know how to react to a house fire the same way humans do, and owners don't know how to help an injured animal. That's why trained fire crews are so important.

What are people saying?

One commenter said, "These guys are heroes to me! If those were my cats, I would be eternally grateful."

Another said, "Made me cry!!! A true hero story ❤❤❤"

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