JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. – Nearly a week into headlines of loss, burned acres and evacuations, there was a small blip of good news to report from the Quarry Fire through the story of survival of one lucky cat.
The cat, found by firefighters on Friday, was mentioned in a Saturday afternoon press briefing by Mark Techmeyer, director of public affairs for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
“It had been covered in fire retardant. Think about this now, you have a cat that has been out there for four or five days, was close enough to the fire to be hit by the retardant,” said Techmeyer. “I can’t imagine how scared and trying to find its way – but that cat to me is the symbol of what we’ve been through here,”
In a social post, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office later posted photos of the cat rescued from the Quarry Fire.“This cat represents our community's difficult week and the tenacity of our community to not only persevere, but come out stronger on the other end,” Jeffco sheriff’s office added in the post.
Jeffco shared on social media two photos of the kitty in a tub all covered in slurry first mentioned in an afternoon press conference. “It’ll just break your heart,” said Techmeyer.
“That is survival and tenacity and hanging in there and fighting," he continued.
A story of hope and survival many need as so many fast-moving Colorado wildfire updates zoom past our social media feeds. Jeffco said the cat was taken to Foothills Animal Shelter and reunited with its owner.
To the laughter of the gathered reporters, Techmeyer joked when asked what the cat should be named: “I hope they go with Slurry,” he said.
Watch the video of the announcement and see photos of the rescued kitty in the video player below
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