Scarlett

Scarlett, shortly after the fire

Scarlett is a calico American shorthair cat. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York. One cold March night, the warehouse that was Scarlett’s home caught on fire. When local firemen arrived at the building, they were alerted by faint mews to the presence of five kittens huddled in the gutter on the opposite side of the street. The kittens were a little singed, but they all looked to be in good condition. Unfortunately, their mother Scarlett was in bad shape. Her eyes were swollen shut, her paws were so blistered that she was limping considerably, and her body was covered with patches of raw red flesh from where her fur had been burned off. Scarlett had faced death five times by darting into the flames and rescuing her kittens one by one. A man who was nearby saw Scarlett do a head count of her four-week old kittens by touching her nose to each of their heads to make sure all five of them were there.

A fireman named David Giannelli saw Scarlett’s plight and whisked her and her kittens to a nearby animal shelter. There Scarlett and her kittens received medical attention throughout the night. All of Scarlett’s kittens survived except one who was weakened by a smoke infection and died of a virus. It was at the shelter that Scarlett received her name, after her burnt red patches of flesh. Scarlett touched the hearts of everyone at the shelter, and more than one veterinarian had to leave the room because they had “something in their eye.” Scarlett’s story soon spread like wildfire nationwide, affecting many families.

Scarlett recovered

To me Scarlett is a heroine because she risked her life for the lives of her kittens. Scarlett’s courage really touched my heart. Her story teaches the Christian value that children are a gift from God. The loving and parenting of children is an important, God-given responsibility. Scarlett’s actions reflect her love for her kittens. That love is like Jesus’ love for us. Scarlett risked her life to save her kittens and didn’t give up searching until each one was found. Jesus died to save His children and lives today in search of His lost sheep.