Thats true. It's well documented the problems that stemmed from the Chicago great hobo vehicular housefire tragedy of 1888.

The smell of burning human flesh filled the brick road streets, as time traveling cars burned and burned. But firefighters could only sit and smell the horrific night as cats purred in their laps.

Some say the whole thing was a cat conspiracy to rid the world of the humans who couldn't afford to give them nightly tuna.

Whatever the truth was, it was established that firefighters were not to have cats any longer. As for why they chose the dalmation as the pupper of choice? Well, thats a story for another day, my friend!