Mango Hill mum Erika Schwaiger warns of common furniture item nearly killed cat

A Mango Hill cat owner is warning about the dangers of a common piece of household furniture after her cat became trapped and severely injured.

Luna's tail became trapped in a thick metal spring underneath the couch.

A Moreton Bay cat owner has stressed the life threatening dangers a common piece of household furniture poses to pets after her terrifying experience.

18-month-old Luna, a therapy cat for a 9-year-old autistic boy, petrified her owners on Sunday morning after she hid under an electric recliner chair and became trapped in the metal spring.

Owner Erika Schwaiger, from Mango Hill, said her child’s toy became stuck under the chair and when her partner raised the chair to rescue the toy Luna made an unsettling screech.

“She often hides under the chair but somehow her fluffy tail became wound round the thick metal spring,” Ms Schwaiger said.

QFEs worked for 45 minutes to rescue Luna from the springs.

“The noise she was making was horrible, we tried our best to get her out but she was scratching us and she couldn’t stay still,” she said.

The family made a hesitant call to Queensland Fire Department who arrived to the home within 10 minutes.

“We weren’t sure who to call as all of the emergency vets were unavailable or all the way on the southside,” Ms Schwaiger said.

“It was very traumatic, until the fire department arrived we held her up to stop her pulling away and making her injuries worse.”

Luna is a support animal for the family's young son.

A QFES spokeswoman said one crew worked for 45 minutes to free Luna from the chair.

“They worked to disassemble the chair and assessed the cat’s tail,” a spokeswoman said.

Once free, Luna’s tail had been stripped of the majority of her fur and the area was tender and bleeding.

Ms Schwaiger said she had been given antibiotics and creams but her vet said Luna’s tail may have to be amputated.

“We couldn’t tell from her X-ray but she could have breaks in her spinal cord,” Ms Schwaiger said.

“They fear she might develop Necrosis in her tail which would mean it would have to be amputated.

Luna suffered deep lacerations to her tail.

Ms Schwaiger said she urged all pet owners to unplug electric recliners or to reconsider owning them at all.

“While we waited for the fire service she stopped moving and we thought she was dead, it was so traumatic for her little heart,” Ms Schwaiger said.

“We’re in so much shock, we have permanently unplugged our chairs.

“To other small pet owners, do not have one of these in your homes or make sure they are unplugged.

“It’s so risky because you can’t see if pets are hiding under there.”