Thankfully, 9 cats and 5 one week-old kittens survived an apartment fire without injury and will be put up for adoption. At least 4 other cats were not so lucky.
The 14 cats and kittens who survived an apartment fire on Wednesday night were scheduled to be removed from the home on Thursday by the Oregon Humane Society. The woman caring for them had said her cats, numbering somewhere around 20, had become more than she could handle.
Lebanon Firefighters at the scene of the fire which severely damaged the apartment were able to rescue the 14 cats and took them to Lebanon’s Animal Clinic where they were checked out and treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns. On Thurday the cats and kittens were transferred to the Oregon Humane Society, where they were treated at the Holman Medical Center. 6 cats will be made available for adoption next week, and the 5 kittens will be fostered until they are old enough to be adopted.
OHS public affairs manager David Lytle says “These are definitely survivors”.
We hope that all 14 go on to have happily uneventful lives in good, loving homes. OHS says they are happy to send the cats to good homes which do not already have too many pets.
Firefighters confirmed that at least four cats did not survive the fire, and there has been no word on the cause of the blaze.
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The first video includes footage from the apartment in the aftermath of the fire. The place looks trashed and it’s hard to determine if the damage is solely from the water hoses used to fight the fire, or if it was messy to begin with. We also see some of the cats being loaded up and then being examined at the clinic.
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Video with the kittens.
Poor kitties.
Looking at the video of the house I’d be willing to bet the place was a mess before the fire. I also fond the singed whiskers to be oddly irresistible and have an urge to go down there so I can hug that kitty. >^,,^<
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind the house was a mess before the fire. It was cluttered and filthy. Sorry, but I can’t stand to think of cats being in that environment. Thank God those kitties survived and are getting help. I feel so bad for the ones who died.
Coincidentally, there was a fire in my apartment building this morning. The only thing I could think of was to get my 2 cats out. Embers fought like a tiger when I put her in the pet carrier and actually left a claw in me. But it did my heart good when I saw all the other evacuees had brought THEIR pets out, too. Cats, dogs, a ferret, birds… a whole menagerie out on the lawn. And no, I did NOT punish my dear little Embers.