A distressed moggy thought it had used up all of its nine-lives after being rescued by firefighters from a house fire.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue (TWFRS) crews have been praised by the RSPCA after saving a cat from the blaze in Jarrow earlier this month. Firefighters from Hebburn and South Shields Community Fire Stations had responded to calls of the fire in just seven minutes.

Three BA (Breathing Apparatus) crews, consisting of six firefighters, had entered the building and tackled the blaze. They also began to search the burning building for any potential casualties – but soon found the pet unconscious inside.

Once the firefighters were confident the property was empty they turned their attention to saving the life of our furry friend.

The paw-ly pet was still breathing and so FF Joanne Grout used specialist animal resuscitation equipment donated by the RSPCA. She also spent five minutes administering oxygen to the cat so it had a fighting chance of survival. This fast action brought this brave mouser back round to its senses enabling it to live another day.

It was named ‘Lucky’ by firefighters and taken to a local vet to receive emergency treatment. It has since fully recovered and been reunited with its owner.

Station Manager Trevor Sturrock, of Hebburn and South Shields Community Fire Stations, praised the response of crews. He said: “Our Firefighters are trained to save lives and that can quite often include the rescue of animals. At every incident attended, our crews always expect the unexpected, and this was definitely the case here. We were delighted to hand back one of the nine lives to the cat through the quick thinking actions of our highly skilled and dedicated Firefighters. Again it shows partnership working at its best as the equipment that ultimately helped to save the animal’s life was donated by the RSPCA.”

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “The bond between people and their pets can be incredibly strong and so losing a pet in a house fire can be hugely traumatic. Our pets can be very vulnerable to the dangers of house fires and, particularly, smoke inhalation. The fire and rescue services in this country do a wonderful job and we are delighted to help them not only save the lives of people but also of beloved pets who can be caught up in devastating and terrifying fires as was the case in this incident. We are delighted that this cat was revived and rehabilitated and returned home.”

They used Positive Pressure Ventilation techniques to help clear the location of any smoke, heat and combustible items that could hinder the rescue operation.

To help the RSPCA continue its vital work rescuing animals please donate by visiting www.rspca.org.uk/give.