“We both just kind of stood there and looked for a brief, brief moment and — yep, we are seeing what we think we’re seeing,” Jeffersonville Fire Cpt. Rusty Hall said.
A 2-week-old, soot-covered kitten dwarfed by the officers’ massive fire gloves was silently breathing underneath a bed.
“I was just kind of astonished,” Hall said, thinking the tiny cat was a toy at first.
The cat, dubbed Miracle, is a bright spot amid the Ewing Lane apartment fire April 16 that caused more than 100 people to lose their homes, possessions and pets.
“The name suits the kitten to a tee,” Hall said. “It’s a miracle.”
Hall and Jeffersonville Fire Private Rex Caldwell found Miracle on the second floor of the apartment complex, close to the heart of the fire.
“The rest of the room had heavy smoke damage, but right there in that one bed, it just looked like the sun was coming in through the window, and right where the sun was coming in, the kitten was,” Hall said. “It was something to see. It was truly remarkable.”
Miracle was immediately given oxygen and cleaned. He is now in the care of JB Ogle Animal Shelter Director Sarah Green, who is bottle-feeding him every three hours through the day and night. Miracle opened his eyes Tuesday.
Green said that the owner has not been reached yet because she only had a landline phone, which was destroyed in the fire. The owners’ other two cats did not survive, and Green said the owner likely believes Miracle met the same fate.
During times of disaster, the animal shelter is the “first line” of relief for orphaned or homeless animals.
“When people don’t have housing, we house them until we can figure out if they need medical care or need fosters,” Green said.
Six animals were brought to the shelter — one dog and five cats, including Miracle. Four of the six pets have been returned to their owners or given to fosters.
Five animals were rescued from the fire and immediately received assistance from Eastside Animal Hospital personnel. Those pets were later transferred to Jefferson Animal Hospital in Louisville for overnight care.
“All five of them that were pulled out of the fire did really well,” Green said.
The next day, Green and other shelter employees returned to the scene to search for live animals. Instead they found seven deceased cats.
The first 24 hours after a fire or other disasters are crucial for animals’ health.
Piper Hays, veterinarian for Eastside Animal Hospital, said animals who survive fires are at risk for developing pneumonia.
“Sometimes they don’t seem so bad in the beginning, but the next day after the damage has set in their lungs, it may get worse,” Hays said.
Pets also may develop eye ulcers from the heavy smoke.
All the animals sent to Eastside were given oxygen, antibiotics for potential pneumonia and exposed to pheromones that they would have sensed from their mother as a calming agent.
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