Erica Ongenae is a paramedic who was on standby at a fire in Winnipeg’s North End on July 28, 2018. She was there with her partner, Rebecca Keddy. Over their two-way radio they heard that a kitten had been found. He was tiny, dripping wet and covered in dark soot. He looked as though he was a dark grey cat. He was frightened and hiding under a pile of clothing.
He was scared and had soot in his mouth which meant that he had suffered smoke inhalation. Erica Ongenae used a pet-sized oxygen mask on the tiny kitten and warmed him up (see photo above). First responders did not think that he was going to make it. Erica and Rebecca are both animal lovers and they asked the firefighters to look for more kittens and their mother but none were found.
Erica became attached to this little kitten who was named Magnus (formerly Cinder). The treatment of Magnus was amazing. The city’s animal services stepped up and once Magnus was stabilised he was taken to a veterinarian before being transferred to the Humane Society where his treatment continued.
Apparently he needed quite a lot of surgery. The photo below shows him recovering but I have pixelated out the surgery to avoid violating Google Adsense policies. He also needed hydrotherapy and plenty of after-care before he was ready to be adopted if no one came forward.
Throughout his treatment Erica Ongenae make sure that everyone knew that she was attached to him. Erica had made it clear that she wanted to adopt him if nobody claimed him. She wanted to take him home knowing that he had been through a traumatic time. Erica called the Humane Society a few weeks later and she was told that Magnus had recovered but nobody had come forward to claim him.
“The Humane Society, I can’t believe how great they are-they did so much to him, all the surgeries and everything, even though he was a stray,” Erica said.
She went to pick him up. The last time she had seen him he was a dark grey kitten, sopping wet and having difficulty breathing. She got a surprise when she met him at the Humane Society.
“I thought he was a black or grey kitten because of the sort, but it turned out to be bright orange,” said Erica Ongenae.
The Winnipeg Humane Society posting on Facebook say that:
“He was adopted by a heroic paramedic who responded to the fire”.
The photographs are touching and powerful. By pure chance, Erica’s seven-year-old daughter, Callie, mentioned that she had wanted an orange cat. It is a match made in heaven. They help each other. We know how fantastic companion animals are for children who are going through difficult times.
Magnus is missing his right ear and his whiskers were singed. His tail is bent from being broken but other than that he is a normal cat. Erica and her daughter love his flaws and think that he is super cute.
Winnipeg Humane Society are always seeking donations as you can see from their Facebook post. If you have time please tick on this link.
