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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / October 2005Note to self
It would be a good idea if I took as good care of me as I did of my cats. We had an apartment fire yesterday. Cold wet and yucky outside. I evacuated the cats to the car and move it so it wouldn't be in harms way to another parking space. THEN I put on my tennis shoes and my coat and watch the fire truck hose down the offending apartment all the while my recent cold and sinus infection turning into severe asthma. I COULD have been in the car with the cats where it was not as cold nor as wet but the view wouoldn't have been as interesting. But I wouldn't have been incapacitated for the rest of the afternoon. As for the cats reactions: Tony was stressed. Anything involving the car can't be good. The Stripey Thing settled down somewhere to sleep. And Mattie turn the WHOLE thing into a novel play experience. People would walk by and tap on the windown and she would chase it gleefully. Silly kit. Tony and Mattie had to be carried in, but once I moved the car back closer, I could just let The STripey Thing out of the car and know he would just go in he is so well trained. I loved having that trained in him. One of the best things I ever did. For the record, the fire was started by someone who left the apartment to go pay an electric bill and left a candle burning. They have to completely gut three apartments because she was on the third floor so all the water came down to the apartments below hers. There was collateral damage on the apartments to each side that required industrial driers because water was coming through the walls. So with her little candle she managed to do damage to nine apartments. I am so glad she didn't live above me. I called my State Farm Insurance Company who has my renters insurance policy and told them about the fire and told them that of all the things that were going on, I wasn't worried about the stuff in my apartment. That I had a great peace of mind as I stood there knowing that I was in good shape. I might loose a lot of stuff, but it wouldn't be catastrophic. They would be there to help me pick things back up again. And I told them how good that made me feel. The woman kind of laughed at me but agreed that it was a nice feeling and then said that if I had been the one who had left the candle, they would cover that liability too. I hadn't known that. Next fire, I'm sitting in the care with the cats though. > It would be a good idea if I took as good care of me as I did of my > cats. We had an apartment fire yesterday. <snipped> Thank Godness you and the cats are alright. (You did exactly what David and I said we would do if there were a fire here; get the cats out first.) You are a super wonderful kitty mom and we are so glad that no one was hurt, but please take care of your asthma. Hopefully you can get your apartment back to rights without any great trouble. Let us know how things progress. Charleen > I called my State Farm Insurance Company who has my renters insurance > policy and told them about the fire and told them that of all the things [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Next fire, I'm sitting in the care with the cats though. Scary! Seems like there are lots of fires started by candles nowadays. Guess because scented candles got so popular. We had a near-fire because the cats once. I had a candle on the table, newspaper next to it, cat jumped on table acting silly, knocked the edge of the newspaper to the flame, *that* ignited the tablecloth. Whole table was in flames. We were lucky. Sherry ... I COULD > have been in the car with the cats where it was not as cold nor as wet but > the view wouoldn't have been as interesting. But I wouldn't have been > incapacitated for the rest of the afternoon. ...> Next fire, I'm sitting in the care with the cats though. Bridget, Thank goodness you and the cats and your apartment are O.K. Your plan sounds like ours. Grab the cats and go. We'll add stay in the car with the cats to that plan (grin). I hope there is no next fire for you to use your new plan. Also, I hope that you do not develop any serious health complications from being out in the cold. Annie > ... I COULD > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > the cold. > Annie Well, I kind of hope there is no next fire either, but so far, the houses across the street have blown up (4 of them - just boom and gone) we got evacuated for that too (and relocated far far away). Now, almost exactly three years later we get fire. I plan on living here awhile so I expect something. I was just so glad everything went off so well. A friend was here and we got alll three cats before they even knew what hit them. As for my health, I took some really strong cough syrup and curled up in a VERY VERY warm bed and just lay there until the chill was gone - and them I lay there some more. So I am pretty much back to where my cold was yesterday. Oh yeah - a couple of breathing treatments in there throughout the day - those helped a lot too. Went to bed early. And today I'm am once again ready for the day. Bridget > Well, I kind of hope there is no next fire either, but so far, the houses > across the street have blown up (4 of them - just boom and gone) we got > evacuated for that too (and relocated far far away). Now, almost exactly > three years later we get fire. I plan on living here awhile so I expect > something. ... > Bridget I remember when the house across your street blew up. That was quite a scare. Now, with that house fire, as much as I'd love to know you in person, I'm somewhat relieved that you plan to stay there and not move to our street. (Just kidding.) Hope you recover quickly from that miserable cold. Annie > Your plan sounds like ours. Grab the cats and go. Mine too. I have the carriers standing with their doors open in the entrance hall so that they'll be ready for use in an emergency. It's a bit crowded with the doors open like that, but better that than not being able to get the cats in quickly in an emergency. And besideds, the cats sometimes like to lounge around in the carriers. Glad you and the cats are OK, Bridget.  SignatureMarina, Frank, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki <snip> > Next fire, I'm sitting in the care with the cats though. I hope there won't be a, next fire. I'm very glad that it was only property and not people or animals that was damaged. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) A House is not a home, without a cat. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk > It would be a good idea if I took as good care of me as I did of my > cats. We had an apartment fire yesterday. Cold wet and yucky outside. [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Next fire, I'm sitting in the care with the cats though. That sounds like a good idea. I'm glad you and the cats came through it, and hope you feel better soon. I hope not too many of your things were damaged. Joy <snip> > Next fire, I'm sitting in the care with the cats though. Purrs that there's no next time! Whoa, what a scary ordeal. I'm glad everyone got out safely and I hope you feel better soon. I went through that in my old apt. complex but I couldn't get my one cat at the time, out. He hid inside the couch the whole time and luckily the fire wasn't close enough to my apt. for him to come to any harm. When I was allowed back in to look for him, a nice fireman came with me with a flashlight and helped me find him. They also rescued a litter of kittens from the apt. where the fire was. They were true heros! SignatureCheryl . I went > through that in my old apt. complex but I couldn't get my one cat at > the time, out. He hid inside the couch the whole time and luckily the > fire wasn't close enough to my apt. for him to come to any harm. When we had a fire a few years ago (some moron set fire to an old sofa in the front garden and of course there was also the moron who left it there)and the hallway was full of thick smoke. Isis (RB) did not do outside and certainly was not going to do, she bolted under the kitchen sink and would NOT come out. In the end the fire people told us that it was mostly under control just a lot of smoke and would we PLEASE come out?! So we had to leave her in there. About 20 minutes later we were allowed back in and as we came back to our flat, Isis emerged from the cupboard under the sink, looking most indignant at whatever had happened and demanding an edible apology Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs > . I went >> through that in my old apt. complex but I couldn't get my one cat at [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Slave of the Fabulous Furballs That reminds me of when I was a teenager, we had an old plastic covered sofa to get rid of. I took it to the bottom of our 300' garden and put a lighted cigarette down the back of the cusion, within 20 minutes flames were shooting about 15' in the air and there was a *lot* of thick black smoke. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) A House is not a home, without a cat. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk > It would be a good idea if I took as good care of me as I did of my cats. > We had an apartment fire yesterday. Cold wet and yucky outside. I [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > view wouoldn't have been as interesting. But I wouldn't have been > incapacitated for the rest of the afternoon. Uh, Bridget? We like you. We'd like to be able to like you for a lot longer. Please take care of yourself as well as of the kitties. I have to admit I'd be doing the same thing. Put the cats in their carriers and then into the car and move out of the firefighters' way. But I like to think I'd either stay in the car or take the crew to Arbys for Roast Beef (I love their french dipped sandwiches) all around. Purrs for those affected by that candle and healing thoughts and wishes for everyone affected by this. Pam S. Pamela Shirk wrote: >>It would be a good idea if I took as good care of me as I did of my cats. >>We had an apartment fire yesterday. Cold wet and yucky outside. I [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Pam S. I'd have gladly gone to Arby's while they dealt with the fire, interesting actually rates low in my book, but there is only one entrance into my apartment complex and for some odd reason it was occupied by this large red truck spraying water everywhere ;). Beyond that, I cite only crowd mentality of which I became a part. And I have grown complacent about the carriers. Afters the house explosions, I was ultra paranoid and they were part of my living room furniture. Right now the large one is dismantled, one is loaned to a friend and one is in the car. Not exactly prepared for anything. They are all coming back to the living room again. I don't care what people say about my decor. The one incredibly nice thing is that when the fire alarm goes off, I can get all the cats in the living room and shut doors while I find out if there is a credible threat (not like people would pull those alarms for fun or anything - they have a special place in hell). There is absolutely no place in the living room for them to hide - nothing for them to get under (my sofa is a daybed witha trundle) -so scooping them up is just a matter of scooping them up. On the plus side, no one was harmed, just a lot of belongings damaged and a lot of po'd people because they think the apartment complex should replace their belongings. I called my insurance agent to thank them for the peace of mind I had since I have renters insurance so I wan't worried about what happened to my apartment, there are some irreplaceable items but my life would be intact if the fire really got out of control and that kept me really calm since my cats were out. So I thanked them for that peace of mind. I found out if I had caused the fire somehow, my policy would cover the damages and all those people would be getting their stuff back. Not a bad little policy for $12 a month. I'm willing to bet the woman who left the candle burning doesn't have renters insurance. That really sucks for several people. > I'd have gladly gone to Arby's while they dealt with the fire, interesting > actually rates low in my book, but there is only one entrance into my [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > a lot of po'd people because they think the apartment complex should > replace their belongings. Bet the candle woman gets sued. I understand about crowd mentality. BTDT. It's the eerie feeling of watching and knowing that there is going to be an accident and there is nothing one can do about it. The tragedy isn't happening to you, but in a way it is by proxy. I suspect that is one of the reasons for reading horror and suspense thrillers. That feeling of watching a train wreck and, while one can't be hurt, one is still a part of it. I get that buzz with James Patterson thrillers. I wasn't trying to put you down or make you feel bad for being around. Our living situations are different. I don't live in an apartment complex any more, though I have done a few time over the years. Unless a fire truck or other emergency vehicle is right out in front of my yard, I can get out by car. If it is in front of my yard, I'm jolly well going to be watching because there are only two families that could be affected, mine and the neighbor across the road. Aside from that, my trying to get out might make it harder for other rescue vehicles to get in, so I'd probably load up the cats and then sit on the porch and watch the floor show. I don't know. For what it is worth, we picked up a "new" (it's in perfect condition) soft sided medium sized animal carrier at a yard sale last month. It cost us 8$ and puts us back up to five carriers. Jim snagged one of our carriers for his cats, and I couldn't argue, as he didn't have any to use if there were an emergency. Not only that, but five carriers is straining the capacity of our little old tempo. I laugh, but I think I need a pick up with a shell on it to carry the beasts in. Pam S. who sometimes envies Bridget's Crown Vic. In the event if an emergency, ours can share a carrier for a few hours. Jo >> I'd have gladly gone to Arby's while they dealt with the fire, >> interesting actually rates low in my book, but there is only one entrance [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Pam S. who sometimes envies Bridget's Crown Vic. > In the event if an emergency, ours can share a carrier for a few hours. I agree, but I'm spoiled and want to spoil the cats and d-thing as well. Can you imagine trying to cram 7 cats and a shepherd/husky mix into a compact? It boggles the mind. Pam S. boggled > > In the event if an emergency, ours can share a carrier for a few hours. We always sit in the car with our kitties. Usually DP will run around trying to see if it's a real fire or a false alarm unless the weather is bad. One day in our old place it was a real fire, but in a unit far from ours. IT was a bitter cold night, and the car was low on gas so we couldn't keep it running for the heater, so we drove around the corner to the donut shop (in 40 below weather with a cat, we weren't going to walk it) and went in for coffees, and the staff, when they heard about the fire, developed a strange inability to hear the noises coming from the carrier suggesting there was something ALIVE in there... Poor Nox. She was our only cat at the time. I wonder if the Tim Hortons would be so understanding of four carriers. --Fil >> > In the event if an emergency, ours can share a carrier for a few hours. > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > the fire, developed a strange inability to hear the noises coming from > the carrier suggesting there was something ALIVE in there... Several years ago we had to evacuate for a flood. Home was OK but roads to and from were under water. Most if not all of the motels that filled up outside the evacuation zone flat forgot about their no pet rules. Jo > Poor Nox. She was our only cat at the time. I wonder if the Tim > Hortons would be so understanding of four carriers. TIM TAMS!!!! We were at a Tim Horton's in Pentectin British Colombia when we met Krista and her hubby Loen two summers ago. What a wonderful place to hang out! Pam S. Pamela Shirk wrote: >> Poor Nox. She was our only cat at the time. I wonder if the Tim >> Hortons would be so understanding of four carriers. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Pam S. Errr, I think you're confused, Pam. Tim Tams are an Australian cookie (chocolate covered wafer with chocolate filling, very excellent). I think you're thinking of Timbits, which are donut holes from Tim Hortons, which is a great Canadian institution :-) -- Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album > Pamela Shirk wrote: >>> [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Hortons, which is a great Canadian institution :-) > -- ACK!! You're right, Britta. Timbits are wonderful and we only recently got rid of the box, which we used as a souvenir of our meeting with Krista and Loen. I fell in love with Pentectin, though I'm sure I didn't spell it correctly. It's a beautiful place with lots of flowers, charm, and friendly people. I wanna see if I can go back someday, especially if I can re-connect with Krista and Loen. They are such wonderful people. Pam S. Pamela Shirk wrote: > I wanna see if I can go back someday, especially if I can > re-connect with Krista and Loen. They are such wonderful people. I really miss Krista. That Krista and the other Krista (in Georgia), too. SignatureMarina, Frank, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki Pamela Shirk wrote: >> Pamela Shirk wrote: >>>> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > I'm sure I didn't spell it correctly. It's a beautiful place with > lots of flowers, charm, and friendly people. I wanna see if I can go > back someday, especially if I can re-connect with Krista and Loen. > They are such wonderful people. > > Pam S. Penticton is very nice, if not a bit of a retirement community. I'm not so much into donuts (severe donut overdose in 1995) but what I miss most about Tim Hortons is the coffee. They make the best tasting regular coffee, no frills & gimmicks, no frappu latte, non fat/ half caff BS. LOL! Anyway, whatever happened to Krista? We should get her posting here again! -- Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album > It would be a good idea if I took as good care of me as I did of my > cats. We had an apartment fire yesterday. Cold wet and yucky [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > as interesting. But I wouldn't have been incapacitated for the rest > of the afternoon. I'm so glad you, your cats, and your apartment are okay. That must have been quite an experience. Warm bed + hot tea is your friend =) Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca Please take good care of yourself and your health, Bridget. I'm so glad to hear no one was injured. Best wishes and purrs, Polonca and Soncek > It would be a good idea if I took as good care of me as I did of my > cats. We had an apartment fire yesterday. Cold wet and yucky outside. > I evacuated the cats to the car and move it so it wouldn't be in harms > way to another parking space. THEN I put on my tennis shoes and my coat > and watch the fire truck hose down the offending apartment all the while > my recent cold and sinus infection turning into severe asthma. <snip> |
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