Orlando Cat Café in Clermont is donating two pet oxygen masks on Monday to the Lake County Fire Rescue. The masks can be used to revive cats and dogs who are suffering from smoke inhalation after a fire.
Chief Jim Dickerson says his teams use the masks on about two to three pets a year to save the lives of cats and dogs left behind in fires.
Dickerson says the masks work the same way a human oxygen mask does, but they’re just smaller so that they can seal around the face of a pet.
"So these masks are designed to have a really tight fit around the shape of the face of the animal and then we can pump oxygen back into them and try to revive them. And we're pretty successful with that."
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Dickerson recommends owners have an escape route for their cat or dog like a doggie door so that in the event of a fire, animals can run to safety.
"If they can trust their animal, having an escape route for them as well is very important. So having a doggie door or some type of pet door that they can actually self-extricate on their own is the best way."
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Dickerson says the Orlando Cat Café has been donating pet oxygen masks to the department the last few years so that their trucks are stocked in an emergency.
For more tips on keeping your pet safe, click the link.
