“Think so. Let’s go have a look.”
He walked away from the heat, steam, crackling fire, and firefighters hollering to each other as they brought the fire under control. He gently laid his bundle on the ground. He flung back the hood of his parka and noticed Mama Cat intently watching him. He pulled apart the raggedy, dirty towel to reveal the kittens. Three small, furry faces—bright eyes slit in the sunlight—turned up to him. They looked none the worse for wear. He felt a surge of happiness that they appeared okay.
Unfortunately, the fourth kitten, a black and white tuxedo, lay unmoving on his side. Trey’s heart sank at the sight of the runt of the litter. The kitten was obviously in distress due to smoke inhalation, a situation that was regrettably much too common with birds, cats, dogs, and other animals in house fires.
Mama Cat butted Trey’s leg with her head, then gently picked up a kitten by the back of the neck with her mouth and headed for her nest in the bushes.
“Should we let her take them?” Misty asked, looking back and forth between the kittens and Mama Cat.
“There’ll be less stress on them if they’re with their mother. And I’m thinking she’s still nursing them.” He nudged the runt with the tip of his finger and got no response. “This one needs our help now.”
Misty carefully lifted the kitten and held him in the palm of one hand. “He’s not breathing well.”
Trey took off his bulky leather gloves and dropped them on the ground. He gently lifted the kitten from Misty’s hand. He placed two fingers on the kitten’s left side behind the front leg and shoulder. “He still has a heartbeat.”
“That means a chance to live.”
“I’ll do what I can for the little one, but—”
“Let me help.”
“Will you run to my pickup? There’s an unopened bottle of water in the cup holder and clean towels on the front seat. We need the water and a towel.” He gestured toward his bright red truck.
She took off toward his pickup.
Chapter 13
Trey glanced around to check on the fire. Thankfully, they’d caught the blaze in time so it wouldn’t spread. He wanted to cheer, but he didn’t want to alarm the kitten he held or Mama Cat, who was moving the last of her healthy babies to shelter. He’d let Slim Norton know where his barn cats were and about the injured kitten. Who knew why the mother had decided to nest under the old house instead of in Slim’s barn, but there was no arguing with a cat’s logic. They did what they did for their own reasons. Even if Mama Cat moved her kittens again, she’d go to Slim for food and he could follow her to the kittens. All would be well there.
He nodded to several of his friends who’d backed away from the fire and were drinking from bottles as they watched the dwindling blaze. Water hissed as it hit the smoldering remains of what had once been a family’s home. Pops and cracks and groans and crashes filled the area as the house slowly collapsed in a blackened heap of debris, leaving one corner starkly upright. All in all, as a firefighter would say, it was a good stop.
He caught Kent’s curious look and held up the kitten. His cousin nodded in response. They all hated to lose vulnerable animals to fire, so folks would be glad Trey was doing his best to save the kitten while others kept the fire contained to the house.
He checked the little one’s breathing by holding his finger in front of the tiny nostrils. Not much breath at all. But the heartbeat was still strong.
Misty ran up to him and held out a bottle of water and a towel. “I got it all! What now?”
“Thanks. Need you to wet the kitten.”
“Just pour water over him? You’re sure that won’t hurt him?”
“Got to cool him down quick as we can. Then dry him.”
She sprinkled water over the kitten’s small body, and then gently blotted off the excess liquid.
“Thanks. I’m going to try AR. That’s artificial respiration.”
“You can do that with a cat?”
He nodded. “As soon as I get a good response, I want you to drive us to the vet’s clinic.”
“Me drive your big hulking truck?”
“Keys are in the ignition.”
“Okay. You keep the kitty alive, I’ll drive Godzilla.”
Trey chuckled as he glanced up at her. He was glad to see she was handling the fire so well. Her breathing might be a little ragged, but that was her only physical issue as far as he could tell. She’d bucked up here just like she had at the grass fire. Strong gal with a big heart.