An east China woman’s call to the fire department to help rescue her cat trapped in a basement has amused and infuriated Chinese netizens in equal measure.

An audio recording of the phone call and a video clip of the eventual hair-raising rescue in an apartment block in Fuyang, Anhui Province on March 20 were posted online by the local fire department.

The phone call goes as follows…

Caller: "Would you come save a cat?"

Fire department receiver: "Is the space where the cat is trapped big enough for a person to enter?"

Caller: "It is… I’m just afraid."

Fire department receiver: "If so, could you ask a neighbor for help?"

Caller: “Do you rescue humans?”

Fire department receiver: “We certainly do.”

Caller: "If I go in for my cat, would you come save us both?"

Fire department receiver: "(Laughter)... We are coming."

Firefighters arriving on the scene pulled the cat out and reunited it with its panicked owner.

The recordings have been circulated more widely since they were posted on Weibo, China’s Twitter, by national fire service account @Zoujinzhongguoxiaofang on Tuesday.

The story has divided opinion. Is it cute, or did the woman waste time for the emergency services on the taxpayers’ dime?

This is far from the first time that Chinese firefighters, who are generally members of the armed forces, have helped free trapped pets. One popular online video shows fire personnel freeing a cat stuck in a water pipe (freed, it runs away like lighting without even a backward glance at its rescuers).

Whether a trained Chinese firefighter should accept such a mundane job can be a tricky question, since the world’s most populous nation has limited emergency services resources.

Here are some netizens’ opinions on the matter…

@legend0504: Could it be that the lives of dogs and cats should be ignored? But, I think the woman’s actions were extreme in this case. I love cats too.

@Buchiputaonaerlaideputaopier: She could have surely solved the problem without asking for help from firefighters! Some would say, “Our taxes pay you public servants so why shouldn’t you act for the taxpayer?” Allow me to highlight for you guys: Servicemen are paid monthly subsidies of less than 1,000 yuan and they are taxpayers as well! It is not that you guys pay for their living, but the soldiers earn their salary at a cost of their lives being threatened!

@Moshajinshijiaomojing: I love cats, but I won’t bother firefighters with such a matter. This is an unreasonable use of public resources. It should not be encouraged. The firefighters who rescued the cat are adorable and honorable for sure.

Some specialists also weighed in, allowing the public to look at the story on a more rational basis…

@Xiaomei (an official fire service account): Let me introduce a relevant clause: Article 37 in the Fire Control Law of the People’s Republic of China requests that “Full-time fire brigades and obligatory fire brigades shall be compensated for fuel, extinguishant and devices and equipment used in taking part in firefighting and rescue for other units.”

@Zhongyutingjianxiayudeshengyin: I work in a fire control department, though not in active service. I consider it a high recognition when we are asked to help someone when they are in trouble. It doesn’t matter how big or small the trouble is. It is just the Chinese military’s duty to serve our people. We do not charge, we do our job.