A house fire earlier this week in Eastern Passage displaced six people, including a couple and their baby, along with a family of cats.
“It’s always very nerve-wracking for cats to be out of their comfort zone. So the kitties were brought to us in carriers and they’ve been placed in the same room, which is really nice,” said Diane Breton, the manager of the Eastern Passage Village Veterinary Hospital.
Breton says the community of Eastern Passage is tight-knit and when their team learned the cats displaced in the fire were their clients, they didn’t hesitate to help alleviate some of the stress on their owners.
“One of my staff members actually reached out to me and said, ‘We have this family, they’ve had a house fire and they need somewhere to keep their cats,'” she said.
The house fire was quickly contained by about 20 responding firefighters on Wednesday.
Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Roy Hollett says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Volunteers with the Canadian Red Cross have assisted the couple and their baby with meals, transportation and emergency lodging. The other three people displaced have received aid through their insurance.
Meanwhile, Breton says her team is happy to help ease some of the hardship caused by the fire by ensuring the cats have a safe place to stay, together.
“I actually spoke with the family this morning and they are so grateful that we were able to take their cats in. They have 24-hour camera access to their cats, they get to check in and see how they’re doing,” she said.