Kitten smallest victim of fire

A feral kitten, weighing less than a pound, is recovering with the Carson Tahoe SPCA after being rescued with third-degree burns from the yard of a home that burned down on July 24.

Susan Paul, president of the Carson Tahoe SPCA, said her group took over care of the tiny black kitten they call Spirit, after members of Eleanore Muscott's family found him stumbling across the charred yard of her Wailaki Street home days after the fire. The family took Spirit and two other kittens to Lone Mountain Veterinary Hospital, which called in Paul to help.

On Thursday, Kathy Cherry of Incline Village became foster mother to the two healthy kittens, while Paul is nursing Spirit back to health.

"He has third-degree burns, so of course, financial-wise, there's long-term care that's needed," she said.

Paul said the kitten's condition was so bad, with open wounds on his feet and a burnt tail, ears, belly and nose, that she almost considered euthanizing him.

"Except this guy never stopped eating. All he cares about is eating," she said. "Normally (animals will) tell you when they're not going to be here, because they stop. But he's a trouper. He grooms himself and he eats."

Paul said Mike's Pharmacy donated all the bandages, so each day she can wrap all four of Spirit's tiny little legs. And despite the cumbersome wads of gauze hindering smooth movement, Spirit still finds the energy to wobble his way across the floor and nuzzle into the belly of the family's King Charles Cavalier, Ben.

Ben, adopted only six months ago by the Paul family, acts mildly annoyed by Spirit's nudging, but at the same laps the injured kitty's face.

Paul said the biggest concern right now it staving off infection. If the wounds become infected, Spirit might lose the battle.

If tenacity is all it takes, Spirit has a fighting chance, said Paul.

"He's just got it in him that he's not going to give up," she said.