A southern Illinois firefighter is proof that saving lives doesn't just involve people. Firefighter Dave Chambers helped rescue several animals during a house fire last week, including a kitten that wasn't breathing when it was carried out of the home.

Chambers performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the cat. He said the cat came out of it and, perhaps as a show of gratitude, jumped on his lap and started purring.

It's not the first time Chambers has done such a thing. Nearly a year ago, he was recognized for doing rescue breathing on a dog.

But Chambers has his limits. He says he won't do mouth to mouth on a snake.

No people were injured in the blaze.