An old, abandoned garage had caught fire. By the time the fire trucks arrived, smoke was pouring out of it and the flames were climbing fast.
The firefighters did what they always do. They got to work, and soon the fire was under control.
That is when one of them, David Giannelli, noticed something strange on the sidewalk.
A small stray cat was carrying a kitten in her mouth, away from the burning building. She put it down, turned around… and walked straight back into the smoke.
A moment later, she came out with another one.
And then another.
Inside that garage was her whole family: five tiny kittens, only about four weeks old. Each time she went back, the heat burned her a little more. But she kept going, one baby at a time, until all five were outside.
By then, she could barely see. Her eyes were blistered shut. Her ears and paws were burned, and most of the fur on her face was gone.
Then she did something nobody who saw it ever forgot.
She went from kitten to kitten and touched each one gently with her nose, as if she was counting them. When she was sure they were all there, she collapsed.
David picked up the whole little family and took them to the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, New York.
They gave her a name: Scarlett.
She did live. It took about three months of care. Sadly, the weakest kitten, a little white one, became sick and died about a month after the fire. But the other four grew strong and were adopted in pairs.
Meanwhile, Scarlett’s story had travelled around the world. The shelter was flooded with letters from people as far away as Japan and the Netherlands, all hoping to give her a home.
In the end, they chose a woman from Brooklyn named Karen Wellen. Years before, she had lost her beloved cat while she was recovering from a car accident. She had promised herself that if she ever let another cat into her life, it would be one with special needs.
Scarlett lost an eyelid in the fire and needed eye drops for the rest of her life. But she had a warm home and someone who loved her.
She lived with Karen for more than 12 years, until she passed away in October 2008.
Today, the shelter that saved her still gives out an award for animal heroism. It is called the Scarlett Award.
Do you think animals love their babies the same way we do? Tell us in the comments.
