Latest news with #Frankie'sFriends
CBS News
22-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Tragedy averted after flowerpot catches fire outside Frankie's Friends cat rescue
Frankie's Friends cat rescue is calling it an Easter miracle. A fire that sparked at the rescue's doorstep Sunday night could've been an Easter tragedy if not for a neighbor who jumped into action. Becky Morrow's heart is inside Frankie's Friends cat rescue on Fifth Avenue in New Kensington. That's where she gives felines a second chance, no matter how sick or injured they are. Her heart dropped when she picked up a phone call around 5:30 p.m. on Easter Sunday. "I was sitting not far away at Starbucks and got a call from the Westmoreland 911, and they said Frankie's Friends is on fire. So, shock, of course, and we ran down very quickly," said Morrow, founder, president and medical director of the rescue. New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba said a fire had sparked in a plastic planter outside the front door. He said the pot had potting soil and peat moss in it. Morrow was only five minutes away when she found out. All she could think about was the 80 or so kitties inside her rescue's building. "Were we going to have to treat the cats? Were we going to have to get the cats out to safety? That was the main concern, was how are these little animals doing, and what can we do to help them?" Morrow said. "I was terrified. I was petrified. Like, are we going to lose everybody, are we going to lose everything?" said Alison Osman, a vet tech and cat caretaker at Frankie's Friends. Osman said a man who goes by Tido and owns Tido's Corner on the street came to the rescue of all the kitties. "He had noticed somebody creeping down the street really slow, and that's when it made him suspicious and that's when he came out and he looked and noticed there was a fire, ran back and got his fire extinguisher and put it out before anybody else showed up," Osman said. "I gave him a big hug. He let us know he knows how much the cats mean to us, so he was very happy to help," she added. "Anybody who stops this from spreading is a hero in our minds," Morrow said. Medics, police, and firefighters quickly arrived at the scene. Chief Saliba said medics and police got to the scene to help, then firefighters finished the job. He said it could have ended tragically. "We almost lost a lot of lives," Morrow said. Chief Saliba said he believes the fire was accidental and caused by a cigarette butt or spontaneous combustion. There's minor damage to the exterior of Frankie's Friends Care Center. The rescue's vet clinic wasn't damaged. Morrow said while they're looking to get repairs made and ways to prevent fires in the future, they're cherishing every purr and head scratch as all of Frankie's Friends still have all of their nine lives. "The buildings can be replaced, but little kitties cannot be replaced," Morrow said. "The amount of people that were here immediately to help was incredible. Somebody coming over to put the fire out, and then people coming to assist with rescue if we needed it, everybody was here and ready. They heard it and came, and we really thank them all," she added.
CBS News
30-01-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Pittsburgh veterinarians say to take precautions to protect pets from bird flu
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Veterinarians are warning pet owners to take precautions as a highly contagious strand of bird flu is spreading across the country. The virus was detected on a chicken farm in Lehigh County this week. In the last several weeks, its also been found in wild snow geese in eastern Pennsylvania. Even though we call it the bird flu, other animals can catch it. "The one that we're most concerned about is the one that's called H5N1. This virus particularly is considered to be a highly pathogenic avian strain. And it can spill over into mammals," said Dr. Becky Morrow, medical director at Frankie's Friends cat rescue. Can my dog or cat catch the bird flu? Dr. Morrow studies infectious diseases, and she said she's not so much worried about dogs when it comes to avian influenza, but cats seem to be at a greater risk of getting the virus. "The cats seem to be quite affected by this now, what we understand is the highest risk to cats is the ingestion of wild birds' contaminated meat, so these raw diets and raw biggest thing right now is to avoid any raw diets, raw milk because even our indoor kitties will be at risk for that," Dr. Morrow said. More than a dozen cats nationwide have been sickened or killed by bird flu. There have been no reports of felines infected with it in Pennsylvania. Dr. Marit Bakken, wildlife and clinical medicine veterinarian at Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh said there are some concerning signs with felines getting sick with the virus. "A lot of cats are getting this disease, and they also are getting very sick from it, and dying, to be completely honest, is very worrying. Obviously, I think that in order to be completely safe and to really kind of mitigate the risk, I would definitely recommend keeping all cats inside, if possible," Dr. Bakken said. What can I do if my pet comes in contact with an infected bird? They said even though the chances that cats in our area will come across a bird that's infected if they're not on a dairy farm or not near a poultry farm are probably low, it's still wise to keep your cats inside as much as you can. Hundreds of thousands of waterfowl continue to migrate through Pennsylvania. And cats are curious and could get avian flu from eating or coming into contact with sick birds. "You never really know, and the risk is more in waterfowl and domestic animals like chicken," said Dr. Bakken. Dr. Bakken said they know that dogs can get the virus, but they're typically less impacted in terms of clinical signs. She said both dogs and cats should still stay away from waterfowl. "Especially hunting dogs, dogs that are outside a lot may be exposed to a lot of wild waterfowl would be higher risk," Dr. Bakken said. "It's just always kind of Better to stay on the side of safe rather than sorry when dealing with these kinds of new emerging viruses," she added. "We don't have a treatment for this. So, it's at least 50% fatal, if not more. So that's why I'm really concerned about it being that we run a cat rescue and that we're dealing with a lot of kitties that are community cats," she added. According to the CDC, it is rare for humans to contract bird flu as they would have to be in direct contact with an infected animal. Experts said the virus can attach to people's clothes, which is one-way cats and dairy cattle could contract the virus. If you find your pet with a bird in their mouth that may be sick or dead -- remove it, then contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission and a veterinarian for guidance, to be safe. You'll also want to monitor your pet for respiratory and neurological symptoms, including sneezing, runny nose, being lethargic, wobbling, or not eating as much as usual.
