An early morning fire took everything from a New Iberia couple, including 6 family pets. One of their cats, Lil Girl, will never be forgotten.

All that remains of the Mendozas house on Orange Grove Avenue in New Iberia is a wall of bricks.

Around 4:00 a.m Lawrence and Mona Mendoza were abruptly woken up by their cat, Lil Girl.

“By the Grace of God. We would not be here today. She jumped on him,” Mona said.

Lil Girl is one of 6 pets lost in this mornings fire.

Mona said through tears, “I wish we could have grabbed her. I didn’t even see her. Luckily we have two pets that made it. They’re at the vet.”

Although the fire destroyed their home and everything in it, Mona’s ‘fur babies’ meant the most.

“Next thing as valuable as our lives,” Mona said.

Seeing her home destroyed is hard but Mona is thankful she and her husband are still alive.

“Start from square one again. Thank God we’re able to do that,” she said.

Mona grew up next door with her family. The house, Mona and Lawrence bought 15 years ago, belonged to her childhood best friend.