ARVIN, Calif. -- About 20 cats died in a house fire Friday morning.

A person doing roadwork noticed smoke coming from a nearby home on Judith Street and alerted the homeowner, Joy Kennedy.

The homeowner said the Kern County Fire Department told her the home was left uninhabitable, and the cats died of apparent smoke inhalation.

"I think it's not going to hit me until I start getting them out," Kennedy said about the cats' deaths. "It's all I have."

Possibly another 50 animals, mostly dogs and cats, are in need of medical care, according to the fire department.

Kennedy said she has been rescuing the animals for years, because she didn't want them euthanized at overcrowded local shelters.

Guy Shaw and the Kern County Animal Control Department came out to investigate whether the animals were properly licensed at the home, which sits on less than an acre in a residential area.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.



Joy Kennedy approaches a Kern County firefighter after her home caught fire Friday in Arvin.