This is a follow-up post to one written by Elisa on November 10 about the ABC7 News reporter, Veronica Miracle, who was involved in the rescuing of a badly burned tuxedo kitty in the Woolsey Fire. The Woolsey Fire is a destructive wildfire burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in the USA. It started on the 8th November, 2018 and has destroyed almost 100,000 acres of land (link to earlier post).
The cat’s name is Tipper, and as mentioned he was badly burned. Veronica Miracle rushed the cat to ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospital in Woodland Hills at 4 AM on November 9. He remains there in a stable condition. You can see in the photograph that he has bandages all over his body. A netting bandage keeps them in place. His hind legs are also bandaged.
Lori Kaelker of Serenity Place Rescue said that he is lucky to be alive. He has two siblings Blossom and Gum Gum. His siblings were uninjured in the fire.
Tipper’s owners have been informed about his rescue and condition. They lost their home in the fire. Tipper was found near the family home in Oak Park, Ventura County which is next to LA County. Many homes in the area were destroyed or damaged by the fire.
Generous donations received to cover veterinary treatment
A Go Fund Me page was started by a Los Angeles attorney, Kellan Martz. Donations will be used to fund Miracle Kitty’s veterinary bill.
As usual, in these cases, there’s been great generosity. It always amazes me how generous people are when called upon to be generous. In four days over $9,000 has been raised out of a $13,000 goal. Quite amazing.
Martz is delighted, of course.
“My heart jumps when I see a donation of $100, $200. However, the ones that impact me the most are the $5, $10, $20 donations, it all adds up. The average donation has been under $25. You don’t have to give a lot to make a difference,” Martz says.
Donations have come from far afield such as from the UK and Japan and, as far as I am aware, are still coming in. Any excess by way of donations will be given to the family who are now homeless.
Miracle Kitty’s owner, Jennel Schlefstein, has spoken to Martz and told him that she is very, very appreciative and is shocked that so many people have shown an interest in her cat.
Desperate times
Veronica Miracle says that when she first saw Tipper she thought that he was a goner. She thought there was no way that he could make it and there was a lot of chaos at the time. In fact, she wasn’t even sure that she would be able to leave the place where she was due to the extent of the fire. The homes were on fire and the cat was singed all over his body.
She says that she could tell Tipper was in pain. He calmed down when he was placed inside the truck. She praises the firefighters who pulled him out of the burning house.
Comments
There are some great comments on the Go Fund Me page by those who have donated. For instance, Lisa Bennet, in England, wrote:
“My heart goes out to every family affected by the fire. I hope that Miracle gets well soon and can help to heal your broken hearts. Much love from the UK”.
Michelle Allen wrote:
“I pray this beautiful cat can survive the horrible burns to her body. My prayers go out to her family who lost their home in the fire too – please know there are people praying for you.”
Lori Kaelker cries for him every day but is very grateful that so mnay people care for him. Her husband visited and got him to eat some food. His family visited to. It’s important that his morale is kept up. His siblings are with the family and they will no doubt be delighted to see him again once once he has recovered.
Kindness
The overriding aspect of the story, for me, is the generosity of spirit demonstrated by so many people in rescuing this cat and doing their utmost to bring him back to full health and to reunite him with his siblings and his human family.
