Warning: I am told the video is tough to view if you are a cat lover. I have not seen it. I have difficulty with that sort of video. I found this story on the Animal Emergency Hospital and Urgent Care Facebook page thanks to Diane Ricciardi Stewart’s Facebook page. I then drilled down on the comments to find his story.
The photo of Russell on the Animal Emergency Hospital and Urgent Care Facebook page shows Russell looking much better, well loved and pretty much back to normal as far as I can tell except of course for his ears which no longer exist. Well done to the hospital. I am not sure who paid for the treatment. Can you help?
Peggy Lynn Mullikin summaries Russell’s story in Facebook:
His family home burned down last spring (2015). They thought they had lost him, but a few days later he was found in the rubble, badly burned. Poor Baby!!!!! I really wasn’t even sure if he was a cat or a ferret the first time I saw him because of the damage to his ears. You should go back and see if you can find photos and video of him as he is a Doll an quite funny!
Glenda Jo Chik O’Brien adds to the story on FB:
…there were other pets. All the more reason it is incredible that he survived the fire and then lived through months and months of treatments, surgerys, and TLC from the vets and vet techs at Animal Emergency Hospital and Urgent Care (and a team of specialty vets who cared for his eyes and those who cared for his skin grafts. Now he is livin’ “large” (hahaha) with his loving Momma. We LOVE when she brings him back to visit so we get our updates!
Here is the video:
I have just written a post about installing fire alarms in households. I think we see too many stories of domestic cats killed in house fires. Always, though, the response by cat rescuers and veterinarians and vet techs is awesome as demonstrated with Russell who recovered from severe injuries. It seems he was thought to have been killed.
There is a tremendous amount of good will, dedication and love towards animals in need amongst many people. At the opposite end of the spectrum there are too many people who are not responsible enough in their duty of care towards their pets. I don’t think we can change this substantially but we can raise the overall standard. Education is the key.
Russell is truly an angel on earth, sent here for a purpose. I have followed his story since shortly after the fire. His amazing journey is one of strength and love. May Russell have a long and happy life with his family. You are one courageous little guy, Russell, with the biggest heart in the world. 🐾💜💜
Michael, yes, the family of Russell thought they had, indeed, lost him in the fire. However, as was stated, Russell was found in the rubble. He spent quite a long time at the stated hospital. Donations came from around the world for his care — me included. He is a gorgeous boy who is VERY loved by his family. I have to commend the family on their devotion to Russell and taking him back to a loving home after his healing. As can be seen by the latest post at the hospital, the family takes him for visits and check ups — as he is loved worldwide by all — especially those at the hospital!! A truly remarkable, miracle story. . . ♥♥♥