Cat freed by firefighter after getting head stuck in can of dog food

A cat in Arizona learned the consequences of stealing dog food after its head got stuck in a can of Alpo on Monday. According to the Yuma Fire Department, two women noticed the grey adult cat, with its head stuck inside the dog food can, walking blindly in a street after it was almost hit by a car. The women caught the cat and took it to Fire Station #4 to see if they could get some help to free the feline from its tin prison.

YFD firefighter Ladd Elwood was able to cut off the can and free the cat. With proper protection, and apparent cooperation from the cat, neither cat nor firefighter was injured during the rescue. While it is common for YFD personnel to participate in animal rescues, this incident was definitely uncommon, said Mike Erfert, YFD public information officer. "How embarrassing" for the cat, Erfert joked.

"Bad enough to get your head stuck in a can, but it had to be a can of dog food. His cat card is getting taken away," Erfert added. The women who found the cat said they thought they had seen it in their neighborhood before, so they took the cat with them to determine if they could find its home. After seeing a photo of the rescued cat on Facebook, Karen Brumley realized it may belong to her family.
The cat in the photos released by YFD seems to match the description of their missing cat Phillip, which has black stripes and grey fur, Brumley noted. The family has been searching for Phillip since he wandered away from their apartment a few weeks ago. "We have desperately been looking for him," Brumley said. "If it's him, that would be such a blessing."