This is a small story about some teeny kittens. These one-week-old tinies saved themselves because they had little lungs powerful enough to reach the ears of nearby humans from deep within a woodpile that had been set on fire.
With no idea that a mama cat had given birth and was raising her kittens beneath the woodpile, a family doused it in gasoline, threw a lit match on it, and with a big whoosh, a fire erupted.
Within seconds, they were shocked to hear loud cries and screams from beneath the pile of blazing wood. Frantically, the family put out the fire and discovered 6 hungry baby kits at the bottom, covered in gasoline, their hair mostly burnt off.
The kits had been wailing in terror for their mother as the searing heat and flames began to scorch them, singing their fur, the acrid smell of gasoline no doubt overwhelming their nasal passages as it was breathed into their lungs. Their eyes not even open and being too young to have the mobility to escape, these little guys did not stand a chance of survival, had the family not acted as quickly as they did. The family called LTAR, who responded immediately.
Of the six, one kitten did not survive, but five are now safe in the care of LTAR volunteers. Nobody knows where mama may be, or whether she was even alive and able to care for her kittens at the time of the fire. Although a very scary event, maybe it was a miracle in disguise. Maybe without the fire, the babies would never have been discovered, and if mama was unable to care for them, they certainly would have perished. We’ll never know.
What we do know is that the five kittens are now being cared for by LTAR and will be transported to a Rescue Partner this weekend for eventual adoption. Of course, caring for these babies is taking many bottle feedings with special kitten formula, which isn’t cheap. Our LTAR volunteers are hand-nursing them every few hours. The time and devotion that’s been necessary to ensure that the kittens survived is freely given by LTAR volunteers. But the veterinary bills, feeding syringes and Kitten Replacement Milk or five constantly hungry tummies aren’t free.
In honor of these humble little souls who, through their loud cries for help made sure the universe knew about them…..we at LTAR humbly ask for your help to cover their costs. Maybe a dollar for each kitten, with an additional dollar for the one who didn’t make it. Or perhaps 3 dollars each. Every dollar helps. And when you look at the photos of four tiny, squirmy orange ones and their tabby sibling – smile. Your support ensures great futures for the five of them.