In 2014, Danielle Schafer, a vet student, picked up a feral kitten that was living on the side of the road. At first, she had no plans of keeping the kitten and wanted to find a good home for her. However before Danielle knew it, she fell in love with the sweet kitten. She became the kitten’s forever home.
In September 2019, Danielle moved to Ithaca for her clinical year of veterinary school at Cornell University. Danielle and Kitty are inseparable even during bedtime. Kitty loves to stay close to Danielle and sleep beside her.
One fateful day, at around 2 a.m., Danielle was jolted awake as her 12-pound cat landed on top of her. She initially thought that someone broke into the apartment and spooked Kitty. Before she could find out what frightened her cat, there was a loud explosion nearby. The blast scared off the cat and she instantly jumped off the bed.
Danielle rushed to the kitchen to see what was going on. Her worries about an intruder sneaking into her apartment disappeared but it was replaced by an even bigger terror. The front of her small apartment was ablaze. All she can see were red flames and pitch-black smoke.
Danielle ran back to her bedroom to find Kitty. She screamed her cat’s name several times but the feline was nowhere to be found. Danielle figured out that her blood-curdling screams scared her cat. She began searching for another means of escape since her front door was on fire. She tried the windows but they were locked. By this time, Danielle couldn’t help but cry because the smoke was coming in the room and Kitty was nowhere to be found.
After a few minutes of searching, she was able to find a route for escape: a patio door that was also slowly being eaten by flames. This did not deter Danielle as she ran through it whilst screaming for help.
Fortunately, a man was passing by her apartment building and heard her screams. She pointed to her bedroom window and told him that her cat was trapped inside. The man kicked the window and broke the glass. Danielle attempted to go back in but the stranger stopped her. The room was already engulfed in flames.
The fire spread quickly. When Danielle looked up, not only was her room burning but also the entire building. Then, she noticed the parents of two young children who lived on the second floor. They opened their windows and were desperately pleading for help. The family were trapped inside because the front door was on fire.
Danielle and the stranger came to their aid. The couple dropped one baby to Danielle and the other to the man. After some time, everyone in the family was able to escape the burning building and huddled in the parking lot for safety.
When the firefighters arrived, Danielle begged and pleaded for them to look for Kitty. The crew promised that they would try to search for her missing cat. The fire victims including Danielle were convinced by the officials to rest in a nearby hotel whilst the firefighters put out the fire.
As soon as the sun came up, Danielle went back to her apartment to find Kitty. Her heart broke when she saw the building reduced to rubble. Despite the bad state of her apartment, she still clung to the hope of finding her furry friend.
There was a sudden commotion among the rescuers and followed by a voice saying, ‘Where’s that girl? Where’s that girl?’” Suddenly, a firefighter named Brad George, who was Lansing Fire Department’s deputy chief, was walking towards her with Kitty in his arms.
Danielle swore that moment was like a movie. “Kitty looked at me like she was mad because she was in this random guy’s arms.” She added. Later on, she learned that a series of events helped saved her cat’s life. First, when she closed her bedroom door, it aided in slowing down the fire. Second, when the man broke the apartment window, it allowed fresh air to circulate. Lastly, when Kitty hid under Danielle’s pillows, it may have helped filter the air the cat inhaled.
Kitty was immediately brought to the veterinary emergency room at Cornell University. The heroic cat spent her days recovering there. Doctors believed what happened to the lucky feline was a miracle but Danielle believes that Kitty, herself, is the miracle. She was grateful to her cat for waking her up that helped her save other people inside the burning building. And when her furry friend was in need, it was Danielle’s turn to help her. “She rescued me. Then I rescued her back.”
