Scarlett the cat is an incredible mother cat who risked her own life to save the lives of her kittens.
Her story takes place in March 1996 in the garage of an abandoned home in Brooklyn, New York. Because there were no people living in the house, Scarlett decided to make a nest for herself and her kittens in the abandoned garage. Unfortunately, for an unknown reason, the house burst into flames on the night of March 30, 1996.
When the fire department arrived to extinguish the fire, they discovered a strange sight… 5 lonely kittens laying outside of the garage. When the firefighters finally found Scarlett she was fighting for her own life. Scarlett had suffered severe burns because she pulled each of her kittens out of the fire one by one. It was obvious that Scarlett was determined to risk her life for the kittens as the burns caused her eyes to blister shut, and the fur on her face and body was almost gone.
The cats were rushed to a Veterinarian at the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington.
Despite having such drastic burns, Scarlett was still devoted to help heal her kittens. Although she couldn’t see them because her eyes were blistered shut, she would still touch each kitten on the nose to make sure that they were okay. Four out of the five kittens survived the tragedy. Unfortunately, the smallest kitten was lost due to complications from a virus contracted after the fire.
Scarlett and her kittens had no problem finding a forever home because the story had received so much media attention. The four kittens were split up into groups of two and adopted into two homes on Long Island. A woman named Karen Wellen adopted Scarlett.
Scarlett spent 12 1/2 years with her loving family in Brooklyn. Although she suffered several repercussions from the burns, she still lived a happy, spoiled life. Scarlett passed away on October 11, 2008, but she is still remembered in the hearts of many.
In Scarlett’s honour, the North Shore Animal League created an award named “The Scarlett Award for Animal Heroism”. This award is presented to animals that have taken part in heroic acts to benefit others.
To learn more about Scarlett the cat, check out her Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/ScarlettTheHeroCat
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