Cuddles Saves a Saskatchewan Family from a Blaze in a Faulty Fireplace That Destroys Their Home

"Who hath a better friend than a cat?"
-- William Hardwin

Twelve-year-old Jennifer Powder was busy pecking away on her PC at around 11:30 p.m. on October 12th when the family cat, Cuddles, inexplicably started raising a ruckus.

In particular, the normally sedate four-year-old multicolored tabby was growling and meowing while simultaneously staring intently at the fireplace. Soon thereafter a crackling noise was heard, the lights dimmed, and black smoke started billowing out of the flue. The house was on fire.

Jennifer quickly alerted her parents and brother, who were preparing to retire for the evening, and together they and Cuddles filed safely out of their East Hill home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

The stubborn blaze, which took nine firefighters two hours in order to subdue, quickly consumed the attic, rumpus room, and a good portion of the roof. An estimated $40,000 worth of damage was done to the house and the Powders were forced to temporarily bunk with relatives.

Cuddles, who as raised by the Powders from a kitten, is described by Jennifer as a wonderful cat. (See photo above of the happy duo.) "I love my cat," she told The Prince Albert Daily Herald on October 15th. (See "Cat Alerts Family to Fire.")

The heroic actions of Cuddles, Bacon in Ottawa, and Winnie in New Castle have again demonstrated the sagacity of William Hardwin who once asked, "Who has a better friend than a cat?" (See Cat Defender posts of October 31, 2007 and April 23, 2007 entitled, respectively, "Bacon Shows His Appreciation and Love for His Rescuer by Awakening Her from a Burning Apartment" and "Winnie Saves Indiana Family of Three from Dying of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.")

Photo: Karen Longwell of The Prince Albert Daily Herald.