Jacob Gets a Second Chance

We're excited to share the story of Jacob, one of DDAF's recent recipients of funds from our Duffy Day Lifesaving Program.

Jacob, aka Burn Kitty, is a 7-month-old kitten who was caught in a house fire. The fire destroyed the family home and sent the family’s 3-year-old daughter to the hospital. Officers responding to the fire took Jacob to an emergency clinic where he received immediate medical attention for burns on all four feet, as well as for smoke inhalation. The following day, Jacob was brought to the Nebraska Humane Society. 

NHS staff found the kitten to be bright and alert, but frustrated with his bandages. His whiskers were singed at the tips, and blue plastic material was burned into his fur. The first 48 hours after the fire were the worst for Jacob.  His medical plan was to change the bandages daily and treat his burns to prevent infection. To minimize his pain, Jacob was anesthetized while the veterinarians cleaned and re-bandaged the paws. He was also started on an IV catheter for antibiotics. Over the next week, Jacob continued to improve. The paw pads were cleaned, dead tissue was removed, and IV antibiotics were replaced with oral antibiotics.

During this time, the NHS staff was in contact with Jacob’s family. Their home was a total loss, and the family was in the process of assessing their belongings and finding temporary shelter. Due to their unfortunate life-altering situation, the medical issues their child had from the fire and the associated expenses, the family decided to surrender Jacob for adoption.

Two weeks later, Jacob received his medical release and was scooped up by a family ready to give him a Forever Home.