Scarlett: The Mother Cat Who Braved Flames for Her Kittens
A stray mother cat ran back into a burning building five times to carry each of her kittens to safety, then counted them with her nose.
On March 30, 1996, a fire tore through an abandoned garage in Brooklyn, New York. Inside was a stray mother cat and her five newborn kittens. What she did next made her famous around the world.
Five trips into the fire
One by one, the mother cat carried her kittens out of the burning building, then turned around and went back in for the next. She made the trip five times. By the last run she was terribly hurt: her eyes were blistered shut, her ears and paws were burned, and her coat was singed away in places.
Once all five kittens were out and safe on the far side of the street, she was too injured to see them. So she touched each one gently with her nose, counting them, making sure every kitten was there. Only then did she collapse.
A firefighter, and 7,000 offers
Firefighter David Giannelli spotted the little family and rushed them to the North Shore Animal League's clinic in Port Washington, New York, where staff named her Scarlett. Four of her five kittens pulled through; the weakest, a white kitten, later died of a virus.
When word of Scarlett got out, the shelter was flooded with roughly 7,000 offers to adopt her. She went home with a woman named Karen Wellen, who promised to give the brave mother the gentle life she had earned.
A name that became an award
Scarlett lived quietly and loved until she passed away on October 11, 2008. The North Shore Animal League created the Scarlett Award for Animal Heroism in her honor, so her name still recognizes acts of animal courage today.
Scarlett had no home, no name, and every reason to run. She went back into the fire anyway, five times. If you are naming a cat with a fearless heart, you could do a lot worse than a name that means courage.
✓ This is a true story. Sources:
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