Fire Victim Finds Missing Cat

A cat owner was reunited with her cat after a fire struck her apartment building.

When Shannon Maher’s apartment building in Waterford, Wis., caught fire on Monday, she quickly rounded up two of her cats and her dog to move to safety. Her third cat, however, could not be found. As firefighters from the Waterford Fire Department put out the blaze at the building, Maher anxiously looked for signs of her missing cat, Baby.

Firefighters checked the building Monday night but found no sign of the cat, The Racine (Wis.) Journal Times reports. “I stayed up all night worrying about her,” Maher said. “I felt almost as if I failed as a pet owner.”

Tuesday, Waterford Fire Department officials allowed Maher to enter her apartment for 10 minutes. Though her unit suffered water and smoke damage, the fire itself did not enter the apartment. Maher found Baby huddled under her bed.

Veterinarian Meg Robinson said Baby shows no signs of respiratory damage from her experience. Baby and Maher’s other pets are staying temporarily at the Waterford Veterinary Clinic, where Robinson works, while Maher and her husband are staying in a hotel. Maher is now looking for a new apartment that will accept her pets.