A fire to an apartment unit in Kalihi late Thursday morning killed a cat and caused about $5,000 damage.

The blaze occurred about 11:45 a.m. at the fourth-story walk-up building at Akepo Lane and North King Street, said Capt. Terry Seelig, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman.

It was extinguished at 11:59 a.m., he said. The fire was confined mostly to the unit. Cause is still under investigation although it appears to be electrical in nature, Seelig said.

The male occupant of the unit, who is in his 30s, was not home when the fire began. He was offered assistance by American Red Cross Hawaii chapter but declined, Seelig said.

A fire destroyed a first-story unit in the same apartment complex last December, badly injuring an elderly man who was its sole occupant.