West Covina Fire Department photo.
West Covina, CA firefighters saved the lives of a pair of two week old kittens twice in one day. First they rescued them from being trapped within a home’s walls. Then they saved them from being put down at the shelter. The firefighters were prepared to care for the babies themselves, but a cat rescue organization offered to take the kittens and eventually find them homes.
West Covina Fire Department Capt. Esteban Rodriguez told the Pasadena Star-News that firefighters got a call around noon on Sunday from a resident who heard what sounded like an animal trapped within the walls of their home.
Responding firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to locate the kittens and got the homeowner’s permission to cut two holes in the wall to make the rescue, and had the babies out an hour later.
“They were tucked in the wall,” the captain said. “They didn’t want to come out.”
When told by animal control officials that the kittens would probably end up being euthanized because of their young age, “We decided to adopt them ourselves for the meantime,” according to Capt. Rodriguez.
When firefighters visited a West covina PetSmart store to buy kitten food they encountered members of the all volunteer rescue organization Cats at the Studios , who were holding a cat adoption event in the parking lot. Cats at the Studios members agreed to provide care for the kittens and then make them available for adoption when they are ready.
The kittens are being called Flame and Cinder in honor of the firefighters who saved their lives twice in one day.
Cats at the Studios, Inc., is a non-profit rescue organization comprised entirely of volunteers. We are dedicated to nurturing, neutering & spaying, and finding homes for abandoned cats and kittens. The shelters are overflowing with unwanted pets that are euthanized, and many of our cats are rescued on their last days at the shelter. Sometimes people will find stray or injured cats and contact us to help. Every cat that comes into our care is welcomed with open arms. Our kitties are all fostered in private homes by volunteers. They eat premium quality food, get excellent veterinary care, and of course receive lots of love! Un-weaned kittens are bottle-fed around the clock, and foster parents encounter many challenges along with much joy until the babies are past the danger zone. In an effort to curb the rapidly increasing number of newborns left to the streets, our rescued kittens are neutered & spayed before being placed in their forever homes. We dedicate a lot of time and oftentimes our own money while our cats await adoption. Because of our committed team of animal-loving volunteers, Cats at the Studios is able to apply all of its limited financial resources directly towards the care of rescued kittens & cats. Nevertheless, because of the ongoing expense of vaccinations, neutering & spaying, and additional medical care, we are in need of donations at all times.
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Great Firefighters! Bravo! Those babies are really cute.
Those babies were MEANT to live…I hope they find a loving home together. Raising abandoned kittens is no worse than human babies…both need around the clock care. Did it successfully with two 3 day old kittens.
Firefighters are GREAT! They risk their lives every time they leave the firehouse to go to an emergency…AND their humanity shows forth with those tiny kittens. Blessings to all of you out there.
no way are kittens hard to raise! we do it every day at our shelter without taking anything away from our other 250 cats!
Thank you so much for rescueing these Kittens. God bless you and keep all you Firemen safe and happy.
So encouraging to hear about caring people!
Thank you so much for saving those kittens. Here’s hoping they can all go to loving homes thanks to you!
Thank you for rescuing the little kittens…God bless you..