It’s been an incredibly cold winter this year. In January, the polar vortex blew through the Midwest, sending temperatures plummeting and forcing some states to ration their heat usage. Most of North America struggled through one of the coldest winters in recent years.
In bitter weather, the last thing anyone wants to think about is a poor animal getting stuck outside. That’s exactly what happened to a stray kitten that turned up at a fire station in Canada.
The poor kitty was almost freezing to death.
Thankfully, her instincts told her exactly who could help her: the firefighters at the Steinbach Fire Department.
The officers on duty did just that. They went above and beyond for the frozen feline, bringing her into the fire station and showering her with care.
“We noticed a little kitten looking in the window, putting her paw up against the window wanting to come in,” said fire chief Kelvin Toews. “She’s a little calico, very friendly, obviously has been around people before so I’m not sure what her full story is.”
The poor baby wasn’t exactly in the greatest shape.
The firefighters didn’t know just how long she had been outside in the freezing weather.
She was so friendly and affectionate, however, they wondered if she already had a home somewhere. But it turned out she was just a kind soul who was grateful for their care.
The little kitten got a much-needed visit to the veterinarian.
She had some frostbite on her ears, but was, thankfully, in overall health.
It wasn’t long before she started to melt everyone’s heart. The little kitty soon got a name: Ember.
She got some much-needed immunizations and was spayed. She also had a return trip back to the veterinarian to take care of a case of ear mites.
Once she was healed, it was time for the Steinbach Fire Department to start looking for a home for Ember. They reached out on Facebook to find a family that wanted to take the fiery kitty into their hearts.
Local social media users also fell in love with the kitten, who showed up regularly in the station’s Facebook “Ember Alerts.”
“Met Ember last evening,” wrote one Facebook user. “What a sweety. Her coat feels like rabbit fur (sic).”
In the meantime, she was staying in Toews’ garage, which had a heater. But the fire chief knew that she couldn’t stay there forever.
At last, on Feb. 9, the Steinbach Fire Department Facebook page made an announcement.
“Ember has a new home!” it read. “Thank you for everyone who has followed her progress and expressed their best wishes and thank you to those offering to adopt her. A special thanks to the amazing staff at Pet Vet for their help, Best West Pet Foods for the donation of food, an anonymous donor who contributed money to offset vet costs, our foster home who took care of Ember for the last few days and Ember’s new family for opening up their hearts and home. We hope to get updates from Ember from time to time and we will keep you posted when we do.”
Later that day, they also shared pictures of Ember with her new family.
The pictures showed her snuggling with a little girl.
Winter temperatures in central Canada can plummet down to the negative teens or more. At this time of year, it is incredibly important to keep an eye out for any pets who may be stuck outside.
It doesn’t take much for an animal to freeze to death.
During bitterly cold temperatures in 2018, American officials were issuing warnings after a slew of animals died in the chilly weather.
“If it is too cold for you – it is too cold for your pet,” read a tweet from the Stuart Police Department. “Like people, cats and dogs are susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia and should be kept inside.”
Thankfully for Ember, she’s now in a place where she’ll be kept safe and warm.
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