community, adopted, cat, house fire, saves, family, stawell
A rescue cat from Stawell has helped save its new family from a house fire. Jet the cat, who is about four years of age, alerted the couple to a fire at their home among the Dandenong Ranges during a night owner Sally Jackson said she would never forget. "I convinced my husband to stay up a bit longer than usual to watch some television," she said. "While we were watching the TV, Jet was making a racket and absolutely destroyed the venetian blind in our bedroom. "At first we thought he was having a fight with the next-door neighbour's cat through the window." It wasn't until Mrs and Peter Jackson went to bed when they discovered the fire. "I pulled the blind up, hoping it would straighten out overnight," Mrs Jackson said. "That's when my husband looked out and noticed the fire, which started in our garden shed on our side deck. "From there it was under the house and up in the roof and in the wall of the bedroom." Mrs Jackson said at the time of the fire, in October, she had just been through spinal surgery. "If we went to bed with the venetian down, we wouldn't have noticed the fire," she said. "I wouldn't have been able to get out of the house quick enough, due to my surgery, as the fire engulfed half of our house and our sleeping quarters. "My husband always says, 'without Jet, we would have been asphyxiated'." Since the fire, Mrs Jackson said Jet gets the best of everything. "We always say whatever Jet wants, he gets," she said. "He has the best of everything." Jet, as he is fondly known, was a shy cat a first but fitted into the home. "I was looking at getting a cat from a breeder," she said. "Then, for some reason, Jet's face popped up on the internet and I showed it to my husband. "Adoptable (Pet Rescue volunteers in Stawell) drove him down to me, which was wonderful." Mrs Jackson said Jet's adoption couldn't have come at a better time. "We went through a disastrous time with a lot of our animals passing away very close together," she said. "They were all around the same age. As you do, get all your animals together at the one time." Mrs Jackson is slowly working through Jet's history - pieced together from the cat's behaviour and interests. RELATED: Adoptable Pet Rescue call out for foster homes "Apparently he was found by the pound, wandering the streets of Stawell," she said. "He is petrified of fire. It took him a long time to come into our family room where we have our wood heater. "He possibly has been exposed to fire in his lifetime." Mrs Jackson said she thought Jet had come from a farm, or been around animals before. "He used to lie nose to nose with my dog through the screen door," she said. "When there has been a cow or sheep on TV, he jumps up and stares at it. "Cats are highly intelligent animals." While you’re with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you’re up-to-date with all the news from across the Northern Grampians shire, sign up here.
THE SAVIOUR: Peter Jackson with Jet, who saved his owners' lives as a fire engulfed their house. Picture: CONTRIBUTED
A rescue cat from Stawell has helped save its new family from a house fire.
Jet the cat, who is about four years of age, alerted the couple to a fire at their home among the Dandenong Ranges during a night owner Sally Jackson said she would never forget.
"I convinced my husband to stay up a bit longer than usual to watch some television," she said.
"While we were watching the TV, Jet was making a racket and absolutely destroyed the venetian blind in our bedroom.
"At first we thought he was having a fight with the next-door neighbour's cat through the window."
Without Jet, we would have been asphyxiated.
Sally Jackson
It wasn't until Mrs and Peter Jackson went to bed when they discovered the fire.
"I pulled the blind up, hoping it would straighten out overnight," Mrs Jackson said.
"That's when my husband looked out and noticed the fire, which started in our garden shed on our side deck.
"From there it was under the house and up in the roof and in the wall of the bedroom."
Mrs Jackson said at the time of the fire, in October, she had just been through spinal surgery.
"If we went to bed with the venetian down, we wouldn't have noticed the fire," she said.
"I wouldn't have been able to get out of the house quick enough, due to my surgery, as the fire engulfed half of our house and our sleeping quarters.
"My husband always says, 'without Jet, we would have been asphyxiated'."
Since the fire, Mrs Jackson said Jet gets the best of everything.
"We always say whatever Jet wants, he gets," she said.
Jet the cat
"He has the best of everything."
Jet, as he is fondly known, was a shy cat a first but fitted into the home.
"I was looking at getting a cat from a breeder," she said.
"Then, for some reason, Jet's face popped up on the internet and I showed it to my husband.
"Adoptable (Pet Rescue volunteers in Stawell) drove him down to me, which was wonderful."
Mrs Jackson said Jet's adoption couldn't have come at a better time.
"We went through a disastrous time with a lot of our animals passing away very close together," she said.
"They were all around the same age. As you do, get all your animals together at the one time."
Mrs Jackson is slowly working through Jet's history - pieced together from the cat's behaviour and interests.
"Apparently he was found by the pound, wandering the streets of Stawell," she said.
"He is petrified of fire. It took him a long time to come into our family room where we have our wood heater.
"He possibly has been exposed to fire in his lifetime."
Mrs Jackson said she thought Jet had come from a farm, or been around animals before.
"He used to lie nose to nose with my dog through the screen door," she said.
"When there has been a cow or sheep on TV, he jumps up and stares at it.
"Cats are highly intelligent animals."
While you’re with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you’re up-to-date with all the news from across the Northern Grampians shire, sign up here.
