Burned kitten reunited with rescuer after narrow escape from Saskatoon house fire
Christian Canfield filmed the moment Scarlett leapt from burning building into snow
The last time Christian Canfield saw kitten Scarlett, she was leaping away from a burning building in Saskatoon, into the snow and then into his arms.
He'd been wondering what happened to the injured kitten until Friday, when he was reunited with her at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Their paths crossed accidently as flames poured out of a home on Avenue I South. on Feb. 7. Canfield had gone to investigate after seeing the smoke from 22nd Street W. The blaze then spread to another nearby home. All occupants made it out unharmed.
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When he started filming the intense blaze, Canfield noticed a small, dark shape dart from the flames and into deep snow.
'She was pretty burned up'
The young cat ran to him, yowling. He picked her up and realized she was in bad shape.
"[She was] pretty burned up," he said.
"You know an old fleece blanket after it's kind of had its life? That's kind of what she felt like."
With the camera still rolling, he carried the cat over to a fire crew, who later took her to a veterinary clinic.
Saskatoon SPCA spokesperson Tricia McAuley said the kitten had severe burns to her nose, front paws and the tips of her ears.
"She had a lot of injuries. [The clinic] took care of her, they bandaged her up and then she was actually given to us and we monitored her care while she was with us," she said.
While Scarlett was recovering from her burns, Canfield was trying to find out if she was OK.
Finding Scarlett
He shared the video on Facebook in the hope that someone might know what had happened to her, but there was no word.
Meanwhile, the SPCA was also searching for Scarlett's rescuer.
It wasn't until she was featured as an SPCA animal up for adoption that Canfield realized she had recovered from her injuries.
The two were reunited at the SPCA adoption centre on Friday, the day before Scarlett was due to move in to a new home with a local family.
Reunited again
"I'm really glad that there's so many people that wanted to get me and the cat back together for one last reunion," he said.
"I'd love to take the cat but I have three already and a dog," he laughed.
McAuley said the SPCA had enjoyed having the little cat with a big personality in their care.
Workers there named her for the Gone With the Wind character Scarlett O'Hara, saying she was a "brave heroine who escaped a fire."
"She's super-affectionate, she's very rambunctious. She's a six-month-old kitten and so she just really wants to cuddle and explore and she's captured everybody's hearts here," said McAuley.
"We're really happy when we have stories like this."