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Scarlett, blaze heroine

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One of the most striking stories of a cat's courage came from Brooklyn, New York City, in 1996. On 29 March that year, in the area known as East New York, an auto-dealer's abandoned premises caught fire. Fire engines were soon on the scene and the blaze was almost extinguished when Fireman David Gianelli heard faint mewing coming from near the ruined building. He found there, huddled together, two 4-week-old kittens; and three others were found just across the street. Their mother, who had been badly burned, lay nearby.

She had rescued her brood from the burning building and, as she could carry only one kitten out at a time, must have made five separate journeys into the thick, choking smoke and blistering heat in order to do so. Her devotion, courage and persistence are almost unbelievable.

Gathering all the animals carefully into a box, Gianelli noticed that even though her eyes were swollen shut, the mother cat counted her babies by touching each with her nose, making sure all were there, before herself lapsing into unconsciousness. The family was taken to the North Shore Animal League facility at Port Washington, Long Island, where there was a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital and emergency service. Ten years earlier Gianelli had taken a badly burned dog there, which had been restored to health, so he knew it was the best place to take the cats to.

They were treated for burns and smoke inhalation and placed in an oxygen chamber in intensive care. As well as her swollen eyes, the mother's ears were seriously burned, her paws scorched and her fur singed. The name Scarlett for her came about because her actions in saving her family recalled those of Scarlett O'Hara in the epic film Gone with the Wind; but also because of the red patches visible on her skin through the burnt fur. Her eyes gradually regained their sight, although it was necessary for surgeons to replace one of her eyelids. One kitten unfortunately fell ill and in its weakened state could not be saved, but the other four were restored to health and after some three months were ready to be rehomed.

Thousands of offers of homes were received from around the world after the story became known, but in fact the kits were homed, in two pairs, quite near to NSAL where they had been treated. 'Samsara' and 'Panuki' went to the Vercillo family in Port Washington, while 'Oreo' and 'Smokey' live with Debbie Palmarozzo of Miller Place, also on Long Island. After very careful consideration of the possible new homes for their mother, Scarlett returned to Brooklyn to live with writer Karen Wellen (above) at her parents' house. Karen's own elderly cat had recently died and she wanted to take in an animal with special needs. Despite needing medicated eye cream three times a day, Scarlett otherwise recovered well and until quite recently enjoyed excellent health (see updates below). 'I expected to see a scrawny, hairless cat,' said Karen, 'but she was gorgeous.'

The North Shore Animal Shelter created an award in her honour, to be presented to animals that take part in actions that benefit humans or other animals; it is called the Scarlett Award for Animal Heroism. Awards have been made to dogs from the 9/11 and hurricane Katrina disasters.

In addition, Scarlett received a certificate for bravery and a plaque from the British RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and that joined the numerous ribbons, citations and press photos and features on the 'Scarlett Wall' at her home. The text reads, Animal Plaque for Intelligence and Courage is awarded to Scarlett in recognition of her actions when her kittens were trapped in a burning garage, Brooklyn, U.S.A., 29th March 1996. The plaque itself proved hard to photograph clearly, but the inscription 'Scarlett 1996' can be seen at the centre. Scarlett even received a message from Socks Clinton, who was 'in office' at the White House at the time; and her story has been featured in a reader for American elementary-school children. Her fame has certainly spread!

More information can be found at an archived CNN page. There was previously a special web page dedicated to Scarlett, but it appears to be no longer available. At the Moggies website there is a poem, and some more photos here including ones of the burned-out building and of rescuer David Gianelli.

Update, June 2008: In December 2007 we were very pleased to hear from Scarlett's owner Karen that, more than ten years on, Scarlett is still living with her and 'as sweet and beautiful as ever'. However, despite all she has been through, she had had to fight a new battle, as during 2007 she was diagnosed with lymphoma. Excellent medical care and a good response to the treatment have meant that the disease is in remission at present — and of course we know that Scarlett is nothing if not a fighter. Karen kindly sent a new photo (left).

In late April 2008, though, came further bad news: Scarlett was suffering from hyperthyroidism, which she has had in the past but which had been dormant for some time. It became necessary for her to be taken into a facility called Thyro-Cat to receive treatment with radioactive iodine; during this time, because of the danger from radiation, she was not allowed visitors. The treatment and the time until she was deemed 'safe' and able to return home lasted a week — clearly an extremely worrying time for Karen and her parents. However, with Scarlett's heart and kidneys in good shape, and the cancer still in remission, she seems to have come through the treatment all right (right). Although she suffered from loss of appetite for a time and had to be hand fed, the latest news (early June) is that her thyroid is now functioning correctly, she has her appetite back and once again all seems to be well with this remarkable cat. We join her many, many fans and supporters out there in hoping that continues to be the case for some years yet.

Karen reported that North Shore Animal Shelter, who have been, and remain, responsible for her medical care throughout, said they were planning to put a Scarlett blog on their website, but as of June 2008 it doesn't seem to have been started. In the meantime, courtesy of Karen, we have further new photos taken in June. Karen also tells us that although she hasn't seen Scarlett's offspring for quite a while, she stays in touch with their owners and they are all doing well.

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Our featured feline at the head of the page is Simon of HMS Amethyst.
Able Seacat Simon remains the only cat ever to have been awarded the Dickin Medal for gallantry under enemy fire,
in what became known as the 'Yangtse Incident' (1949).
Read Simon's story.

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