“I looked down and you can actually see the cat shining in the spotlight of my flashlight. And I looked back and that's when I saw the cat and grabbed him,” said Cory Kalanick, the firefighter who found the kitten.
The kitten was limp as Kalanick picked it up and took it outside. He grabbed a mask and an oxygen tank, setting the kitten on his glove to protect it from the hot asphalt. After pouring water on him and using an entire tank of oxygen, within 15 minutes, Kalanick massaged life back into the tiny animal. He affectionally nicknamed "Lucky the Cat."
It was a fitting job for the ten year veteran. He's sometimes teased for being an eco-friendly vegan.
“They raz me or give me garbage for it. It's a pretty cool thing that we get to help a kitten out,” said Kalanick.
Back in the neighborhood where it all happened, kids who witnessed the fire several weeks ago are shocked the kitten made it. They also say, not only did Lucky survive the fire, he was originally found in a shopping cart just down the street.
The people renting the apartment have moved, but Kalanick hopes Lucky is still alive and well.
“I really hope that cat is being loved,” said Kalanick.
The fire department says the kitten was handed over to the Central California SPCA which said it returned it to the owners. CBS47 is looking for those owners to see how Lucky is doing today.
To see the firefighter's edited "movie trailer" of the rescue, click on the related link.