Community groups help injured cat and its owners after Moncton fire

MONCTON – The community is rallying to help 11 people left homeless after a fire in Moncton last week, including a cat that was seriously hurt.

Rain, a black short haired cat, escaped blaze on West Main Street — but barely.

When she ran out of the house, her face and tail were still on fire. She suffered from smoke inhalation and severe burns on her paws.

Dr. Penny McLaughlin at the Riverview Animal Hospital says Rain has been under careful watch ever since.

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“The first two weeks are critical for her. It’s more so for under the paws, for the bacteria. We want to make sure she doesn’t get infected. But you’re looking at months of healing,” McLaughlin said.

While Rain is recovering, owner Kelsey Wood says she wishes there was more she could do.

“It’s hard. It’s hard. I wish I would have been there. I don’t know…it’s just hard seeing her like that.”

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Wood and her husband were out of the house when the fire started. They were walking back to the building when they heard the sirens. That’s when Wood said she just started running to the house because she had four cats trapped inside. Simon, a long haired white cat, made it out safely, and Rain is recovering. But two others, Baxter and Lilly, are still missing.

Wood says she doesn’t where they are, or if they’re injured.

RCMP said the fire appeared suspicious, and fire investigators are still searching for a cause. Now, groups like the Canadian Red Cross and Big Hearts, Small City are helping find places to stay for the tenants. They’re also helping with the extensive veterinary bills.

McLaughlin says Rain has been a model patient so far, but she’s still got a long way to go.

“It’s heartbreaking when you see something like this. You feel so bad for them because they don’t understand,” said McLaughlin. “They don’t understand what’s happened to them they don’t understand that you’re trying to make them feel better.”