Five kittens are recovering after being rescued from a brush fire in Port Alberni.
On June 20, a fire broke out behind the BC SPCA’s Alberni-Clayoquot branch in the Rogers Creek gully in Port Alberni. When the firefighters were doing sweeps of the scene, five kittens — each with varying degrees of burns — were found and brought to the SPCA.
One lucky kitten escaped with only a small amount of singed fur. The four remaining kittens have burns on their paws, tails, ears and noses. One kitten is suffering from burns to his face, abdomen, mouth, eyelids, tail and rectum. Their paws are burned, and the skin is sloughing off.
Sam Sattar, manager of the SPCA’s Alberni-Clayoquot branch, said the response from Alberni Valley fire crews was "outstanding" last week.
“They did sweeps of the area over two days, finding one kitten and then two more shortly afterwards on the first day, and then two more on a sweep the following day," said Sattar. "Because the fire happened so close to the animal centre, we were able to rush them to an emergency veterinary hospital and get them treatment quickly.”
The kittens are approximately eight or nine weeks old, he said. No mother cat was found at the scene of the fire, but Sattar said she could have fled. Staff with the Alberni-Clayoquot SPCA plan to explore the area to see if they can find the mother, and Sattar added that BC Wildfire crews have been at the site this week mopping up and keeping an eye out for any more animals.
All the kittens received subcutaneous fluids, pain medication and an injection of long-lasting antibiotics to prevent infections from the burns, as well as a special cream to treat their burns at the emergency veterinary hospital. Four of the five kittens were prescribed eye medication for their burnt eyelashes and were checked for eye irritation and damage.
The kittens will be under a veterinarian’s care and in a foster home for a number of weeks as they heal. When they are ready, they will be scheduled for spay and neuter surgeries.
“We have the kittens recovering at the home of one of our staff members so they can receive the specialized care they need to recover,” said Sattar. “They are all set up with special litter that won’t stick to their paws or cause them discomfort when they step on it.”
Sattar added that three of the kittens step very gingerly when they walk. Sadly the kitten with the most severe burns does not want to walk at all, because it is so uncomfortable.
“The four kittens will require eye drops three times a day and will also need their burns treated with ointment three times a day,” says Sattar. “They are getting pain medication a minimum of twice a day.”
Despite all this, Sattar says the kittens have been purring throughout their treatment.
“It is unbelievable," said Sattar. "Even on the way to the veterinary hospital prior to any supportive care or pain management, the healthiest of the kittens were playing and acting like kittens. The ones with the more serious injuries have just wanted to sleep, heal and cuddle with each other on a plush blanket that doesn't cause their burns any discomfort.”
The kitten who was least injured will be available for adoption shortly. The other kittens will be available for adoption in mid-July.
In the meantime, the SPCA is seeking donations to help with the medical costs for treating the kittens. Petsecure Pet Health Insurance has offered to match all medical donations up to $3,500 to help with their care. To donate or learn more, visit medical.spca.bc.ca.
