A mother’s love is a powerful thing. We often see incredible stories of mother animals in nature do extraordinary things to protect their young ones.
Like one brave mother cat, who risked her life to save her kitten from a fire. While she suffered injuries from the rescue, she is now recovering thanks to the help of the animal rescue who took her in.
The mother cat, now known as Minka, was a semi-feral stray taking care of a litter of kittens. And when her kittens got caught in a burning barn recently, Minka did not hesitate to rush in to save them.
“Their food was kept inside a barn, and the barn caught fire, and she ran into the barn to get her kittens who were getting something to eat,” Christine Koltun of Furget Me Not Animal Rescue told City News.
The mother cat braved the fire and repeatedly ran back into the barn, risking her own life and sustaining serious injuries in the process: she was left with severe burns on her stomach, paws and ears.
Sadly only one kitten survived the ordeal, but that kitten made it out safe and sound all thanks to Minka’s heroism.
But the cats were in serious need of help. Minka was not only seriously burned from the fire but was suffering from smoke inhalation, and the property owners could not provide adequate veterinary care.
When Furget Me Not Animal Rescue, in Edmonton, Canada, got word of the story, they knew the had to help — even if it meant stretching their resources.
“We are way over capacity with kittens right now, but when we were alerted to a very emergent situation with a cat in excruciating pain & unable to care for her baby, of course we said yes,” the rescue wrote on Facebook.
In the rescue’s care, Minka has been receiving treatments for her burns and given antibiotics and sedation. Vets also performed x-rays to check the extent of smoke inhalation damage in her lungs.
Her kitten, who has been named Francis, will soon be placed in the care of a foster home. The rescue explained that if the mother and kitten are “bonded” they will keep them together, but they seem to have have naturally grown less attached as Francis has grown older, so separating them so they can each get the best care would be beneficial.
“Ultimately we’ll make the best possible decision for both of them to have the happiest possible future when they’re ready,” Furget Me Not wrote in a Facebook reply.
In the weeks since Minka and Francis were brought in, their story has gone viral, with people around the world praising Minka has a hero: “We’re amazed & incredibly humbled by the international response to Minka’s story!” Furget Me Not wrote in an update.
They also say the two are continuing to do well, Minka is making steady progress in her recovery.
“She’s made incredible progress with her socialization, it’s safe to say this is not a feral kitty,” they wrote. “We’ve been able to reduce her pain medication while still keeping her very comfortable and happy, and both she and her little one Francis are enjoying all the wet food they can eat.”
Minka is definitely a hero — what an incredible thing to do to save your kitten’s life. We’re so glad they are both doing well and on track for a better life.
