Feline and hen become fast fire friends

REDDING, Calif. (AP) -- A cat seeking refuge from a raging Northern California wildfire found a fine-feathered friend as it awaited rescue from the heat and flames.

The Grass Valley Fire Department said Thursday a cat and chicken it rescued over the weekend are recovering from burns with the help of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The feline and hen were found Saturday huddling together on the front porch of a home in Redding during a firefighters' patrol through a fire-damaged neighborhood.

The unlikely duo made it to safety riding in the same crate. The animals are expected to fully recover from their burn wounds while in the custody of SPCA.

The fire in and around Redding has claimed six lives, including two firefighters, and destroyed more than 1,000 homes.