Indiana family's cat found alive days after devastating fire
Indiana family's cat found alive days after devastating fire
It's a story of survival. A cat survived a devastating fire to make it back to its family in Indiana.
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - One Northwest Indiana family is picking up the pieces after a fire tore through their apartment building in late June, destroying all of their belongings.
In the midst of chaos, their beloved cat went missing. For two days, they feared the worst, until she returned home unexpectedly. Exactly where she was during that time will remain a mystery—but where she was found came as an unbelievable surprise.
What we know:
Danielle Carter, who lives in Merrillville, is thanking her local heroes for bringing their four-legged family member home after a devastating fire.
"I couldn't thank them enough, thank yous were not enough," Carter said. "The cat means everything to these girls, everything. They didn't even care about their stuff; they just wanted their cat."
On Sunday, June 22, Danielle Carter was taking a nap when she was woken up by her 8-year-old daughter, Gracelyn.
"And she said, 'We gotta get up mom, get up mom!'" Carter recalled.
Gracie had been playing in her bedroom when she smelled smoke, only to leave her room and discover that their balcony was on fire.
"I saw the blanket by the window in flames, it was just swooping out the window, the ceiling was crackling, and you could hear it, the carpet was on fire," Carter said.
Through thick smoke, Carter grabbed Gracie and ran—leaving everything behind. Sadly, that meant there was no time to look for their 6-year-old cat, Shirley, before getting to safety.
When crews put the fire out, there was no sign of the family's animal. Gracie and her older sister, Karly—who wasn't home at the time—were devastated.
"She is an emotional support cat for Gracelyn. Gracelyn has an extremely rare condition called Floating-Harbor Syndrome," Carter said.
Carter returned to the apartment building—located near 76th Lane and Whitcomb Street—that night to look for Shirley, then tried again the next day.
"I kind of walked around the building calling for her, didn't hear nothing, I left in tears," Carter said.
Then on Tuesday, she made one last-ditch effort.
"I told Karly, 'Let me call the Merrillville Fire Department, let me just see if they can help us out,'" Carter recalled.
A couple hours later, Carter said her phone rang. It was the Merrillville Fire Department with a miraculous discovery.
"They said, 'She's alive, she was sitting on the girls' bunk beds waiting for them," Carter said.
Shirley was dehydrated and had trouble breathing. She suffered burns, which are still healing more than two weeks later.
"She's slowly getting better, but she's going to need some long-term recovery," Carter explained.
Shirley was given antibiotics and needs burn ointment applied to her wounds daily as they heal.
Now, Carter—who recently started a new job—says she’s focused on nursing Shirley back to health and starting over, hoping to once again give her daughters a comfortable place to call home.
"It's heartbreaking, but I have to be strong, and I have to keep going for the kids," Carter said.
What's next:
As for the cause of the fire, it is still under investigation.
What you can do:
Treasured Friends and the Animal Rescue Squad in Northwest Indiana helped raise funds for Shirley's first few vet visits, according to Carter.
To assist with Shirley's ongoing veterinary care and to help Carter and her daughters start over, a relative has created a GoFundMe account.