Mother Cat in Recovery After Heroically Saving Her Kitten from Barn Fire
Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A mama cat recently unleashed her inner mama bear when her offspring were in danger.
Minka sustained multiple burns and inhaled smoke, after she repeatedly rushed into a burning barn to save her kittens. She was able to save one of her kittens, Francis, from the fire, but they both required significant veterinary attention, which their owners could not provide.
Both mother and kitten were taken to Furget Me Not Animal Rescue group in Edmonton, Canada, where Minka was treated for pain, given antibiotics and X-rayed to determine the extent of the smoke inhalation damage to her lungs.
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"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 animal rescue wrote in a Facebook post last week.
Minka has since been recovering, as she's been given medication and salve for her burns every eight hours, while her ears and the pads of her paws fall off. "Mommy is semi-feral, so rescue mummy sure has her work cut out for her, but kitties like this are exactly why we do the work we do," Furget Me Not added.
"She has severe burns to her belly, so her sweet little boy will be going to a loving foster home as soon as he's medically cleared to leave HQ," they wrote. Furget Me Not is asking for donations to help cover the furry family's medical costs.
The animal rescue provided a positive update on Monday, posting a video of Minka eating from a bowl, as Francis watched close by. "We're amazed & incredibly humbled by the international response to Minka's story!" the post read.
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"She's made incredible progress with her socialization, it's safe to say this is not a feral kitty. 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."
