Cats Use Fax as Toilet, Spark Japan House Fire

Now, here’s a headline you don’t see everyday: Cats use fax as toilet, spark Japan house fire (Reuters)

Two kittens picked the wrong place to relieve themselves when they urinated on a fax machine, sparking a fire that extensively damaged their Japanese owner’s house. Investigators in the western city of Kobe have concluded that the fire in January was caused by a spark generated when the urine soaked the machine’s electrical printing mechanism. The fire damaged the kitchen and living room before it was put out by the house’s owner, who was treated for mild smoke inhalation, said Masahito Oyabu, a fireman at the Nagata fire station in central Kobe.

The kittens quickly ran to safety, he added.

“If you have a cat, or a dog for that matter, be careful where they urinate,” Oyabu said. “Especially keep them away from electrical appliances and wires.”

Words to live by.

FILED UNDER: Uncategorized, , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Note to self: Sell my fax on Ebay.