Courageous Cat Finds Home Saved Kittens From Fire

After three months and more than 1,000 requests for her adoption, Scarlett, the cat who rescued her five kittens from a burning building, left the North Shore Animal League here for a home of her own Thursday.

Scarlett will live in the New York City home of Karen Wellen, chosen from a thousand cat lovers who were moved by the brave feline’s story.

“It was a difficult time choosing one person out of all those letters,” said Dr. Bonnie Brown, the league’s medical director, who cared for Scarlett and her kittens when they were brought to the facility in March. “But we feel we got the best person who can provide a loving home for Scarlett.”

Scarlett gained widespread attention after carrying her 4-week-old kittens one by one out of a burning building in Brooklyn.

The fire-scared felines were discovered by David Giannelli, one of the firefighters at the scene, who brought them to the animal shelter.

Since then, people from as far as Japan and the Netherlands have been inquiring about adopting the cats.

But doctors said they chose Willen because of her heartwarming story.

Willen’s previous cat of 21 years, Mophit, died seven years ago while Willen was recovering from a car accident. She said that the emotional pain of losing her beloved pet made her very selective in her search for another cat.

“If ever I allowed another cat into my life, it would be one with special needs,” she said. “I just fell in love with her.”

Brown said that Scarlett is close to a full recovery. Most of the fur that was singed off her face has grown back, and her burns are almost healed.

Scarlett, who lost her left eyelid in the fire, will require constant lubrication of her eyes. Doctors plan to reconstruct an eyelid for her in the next few weeks.

Although one of the kittens died last month of an infection, the four survivors were adopted as well, in pairs.