Kittens Rescued From Lakewood House Fire Get Oxygen: Photos

LAKEWOOD, WA - It turns out that anything involving a kitten is cute, even if the kitten is receiving life-saving medical care.

West Pierce firefighters rescued five kittens from a burning home in Lakewood Thursday morning. After the rescue, the firefighters strapped oxygen masks onto the little felines to help them recover from the fire.

The fire broke out around 6 a.m. at a home along the 9800 block of Forest Avenue Southwest. No humans were injured in the fire, the department reported, and the Red Cross is assisting all the occupants with finding shelter.

As you can see in the photos, the firefighters are using small oxygen masks on the kittens. Many fire departments have acquired specially-shaped masks - or devices that fit into regular oxygen masks - to help save pets that suffer from smoke inhalation or worse. Often, fire departments will receive the masks as a charitable donation.

There are a number of charities that donate the masks. The largest, Wag'N O2 Fur Life, has a goal of making sure every department in North America has at least one pet oxygen mask.

Images via West Pierce Fire and Rescue