In a bizarre twist of fate, a cat in China has burned through one of its proverbial nine lives after inadvertently starting a fire that caused significant damage to its owner’s home. The incident occurred when the cat, named Jingoudiao, accidentally activated an induction cooker while alone in the apartment.
The fire, which originated in the kitchen of the flat located in Sichuan province, resulted in damages totaling 100,000 yuan (approximately US$14,000). Despite the havoc wreaked, Jingoudiao emerged from the ordeal unscathed, found by firefighters hiding in an upstairs cabinet, covered in ash but otherwise unhurt.
The cat’s owner, identified only as Dandan, took to Douyin, a popular Chinese social media platform, renaming her account to “Sichuan’s most badass cat”. Embracing a light-hearted approach to the costly mishap, she featured Jingoudiao in several live-streaming sessions to “compensate” for the damages, attracting over 8 million views.
The event unfolded on April 4, while Dandan was away playing mahjong. She was alerted to the emergency by a phone call from her property’s management staff. Upon rushing home, she discovered the extent of the destruction, mostly confined to the first floor of her loft.
In the aftermath, Dandan humorously declared that Jingoudiao was “working to pay off his debt” by participating in online streams, even humorously labeling him as an “arsonist.” She also took an educational turn by arranging a video chat with a firefighter from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, to impart fire safety tips to the mischievous feline.
The firefighter, amused by the request, remarked that it was his first experience teaching a cat about fire safety, noting his previous unsuccessful attempts to engage the fire station’s dog in similar lessons.
Reflecting on the incident, Dandan posted an online apology on April 13, signed with both her fingerprint and Jingoudiao’s paw print. She acknowledged her oversight in failing to power off the cooker, expressed her newfound commitment to fire safety, and encouraged others to heed her cautionary tale.
The story has sparked a flurry of amused and sympathetic reactions on social media, with users sharing light-hearted comments about their own pets’ antics, emphasizing the universal challenges and joys of pet ownership.
