More than 20 cats were killed Friday morning when a smoky fire damaged a house in a rural area outside Arvin. No people were hurt.
It happened on Judith Street, just north of Arvin.
Joy Kennedy told 17News she has been sheltering stray cats there for years and more than 20 were in the house when the fire started. Dozens of animals, dogs, birds and chickens, survived the fire.
She said the dead cats succumbed to the smoke.
Kern County Animal Control Director Guy Shaw was at the fire scene and said the animals appeared to have been well cared for before the fire.
Kennedy said she would bury the cats on her property.
She thought the fire may have been started by heater used to warm baby chickens. The fire department didn’t speculate Friday morning about a cause.
