By Gina Horan
Orlando Cat Café Donates Lifesaving Equipment to Fire Department
Lake County Fire Rescue has some new life-saving tools for four-legged residents thanks to a donation from the Orlando Cat Café in honor of National Pet Fire Safety Day.
During a special event held Tuesday at the cafe in Clermont, several pet oxygen mask kits were presented to Lake County Fire Rescue officials. This marks the sixth year the Orlando Cat Café has supported local firefighters with this equipment.
Sandra Cagan, owner of the Orlando Cat Café, says the donation is meant to protect pets who often can’t escape house fires on their own.
“This is one of my favorite events during the year,” Sandra says. “We want to make sure that the firefighters have all the equipment they need to protect the most vulnerable.”
Unlike people who instinctively run from danger, animals tend to hide, making rescue harder. Many suffer from smoke inhalation long before flames ever reach them.
The reusable Wag’N Pet oxygen mask kits include three sizes and can be used on dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and more. The masks allow first responders to deliver oxygen to pets who are either conscious and struggling to breathe or unconscious from toxic fumes.
LCFR firefighters Daniel Lance and James Hand were among several other firefighters there to accept the equipment and were grateful to have the special masks to fit animals.
“I didn’t even know there were these types of masks before I went into training,” Daniel says, who spent most of his time at the event petting kittens. “The fact that there are three sizes makes our job that much more efficient.”
National Pet Fire Safety Day was created by the American Kennel Club and ADT Security Services to help reduce the estimated 50,000 pets impacted by home fires each year. The annual campaign encourages pet owners to think ahead about safety and put measures in place to protect animals when they can’t be home.
Lake County fire officials thanked the Orlando Cat Café for its continued commitment to community safety, noting that these masks have already made a difference in past emergencies.
The Orlando Cat Café opened in 2016 and partners with SPCA Florida to house up to thirty adoptable cats and kittens at any given time. Visitors can sip coffee, relax with the resident felines and maybe even find a new friend to bring home.
For more information about adopting or visiting, go to orlandocatcafe.com.
Photos by Gina Horan
Gina moved to Central Florida in August 2021 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a degree in linguistics and worked as a fashion editor, photo stylist lifestyle columnist and food writer for the Knight Ridder Newspaper Group. She also covered and photographed music festivals, fashion shows and sports throughout Northern California. In 2000, she joined KSAN radio as a morning show co-host and produced the news and sports content there for four years. She later covered travel, events and the restaurant scene for KRON-Bay TV. A veteran bartender, Gina has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. She has been with Akers Media since 2022 and hosts the Healthy Living Central Florida podcast. Her passions include travel, road trips, baseball, history books and podcasts, tasting menus and arriving in a new city without a map or guidebook.
