Cat Man Chris came to the rescue of a friendly little kitten later named Blaze by Jess. The fully-weaned kitten was hanging out behind a grocery store, hiding in tall stacks of wooden pallets. It was a great place to hide for protection and worked as a “makeshift cat tree,” Chris said.
Kind grocery store employees and a friend were feeding cats near the store, all spayed and neutered. Unfortunately, nobody knew where Blaze’s mom was. Although he found a relatively safe place to hide, Chris had previously rescued a cat from the same location with severe mange who sadly didn’t survive. So, the sooner he could rescue the kitten, the better!
Images and media provided by Cat Man Chris
Blaze the Kitten Peeks Out from His Wooden Fortress
When Chris arrived, he spotted Blaze peeking out of his wooden fortress cutely.
“He didn’t run off into the woods, which I was kind of expecting him to do, so that was a good sign and he soon came to the opening to eat the treats I was leaving for him,” he said.
Considering how friendly the little guy was, it was tempting to grab him. But Chris knew attempting that would be a big risk.
“I could get close to him while eating, and it was tempting to try and grab him by hand, but I knew if I tried that and failed, it would set me back a long time,” Chris explained.
Instead of risking losing the kitten, he set a baited live trap and waited from a safe distance. Sure enough, some smelly tuna and cat treats soon got his attention!
Video provided by Cat Man Chris
Last Second Effort to Spring the Trap!
Finally, Blaze was all the way inside the live trap, but then the door didn’t shut!
“It wasn’t long before he jumped down from the pallets to investigate and was eating in the trap…unfortunately, he was so light and also stepped over the trip latch, so the trap door didn’t release,” Chris said.
With only seconds to act, Chris improvised a solution by throwing the trap cover in a ball toward the trap door. He had to throw it just right, or Blaze might have taken off for the woods.
“I had to improvise and balled up my trap cover, snuck up closer and threw it at the trap door to set it off and trap the kitten!”
Thank goodness, Chris’s throw was a success! As you can see in the video below, the plan worked, and soon Blaze was safe inside.
Video by Cat Man Chris:
The Easiest Bath Ever
Baby Blaze was scared, dirty, and had a pot belly full of intestinal worms from life outdoors. Nevertheless, when Chris gave him a gentle, warm flea bath, the kitten was as relaxed as he had ever seen before!
“He was the EASIEST kitten I have ever given a flea bath too! He had a lot of fleas and dirt, plus he also had a piece of thick tape stuck to his side that we slowly worked free in the warm water,” Cat Man Chris explained.
Blaze felt so much better after the bath and was such a good boy. Chris gently dried him off and then Jess gave him his name.
“Jess named him Blaze because of the unique marking on his forehead that looked like a flame and because we knew he’d set hearts on fire!” he shared.
Blaze the kitten has a white blaze on his cute forehead.
Video provided by Cat Man Chris
Although he was scared at first, Blaze warmed up very fast and was quite the cuddly fellow. For a kitten of his age struggling outside, it’s a wonder he was so trusting and loving.
The kitten loved rolling around in the blankets and giving the rescuers looks that melted their hearts. He was so sweet that the couple LITERALLY rolled dice to see if he was fated to become part of the Cole and Marmalade family. But the roll was “odds”, which meant there was another family waiting fur him. Even so, if he wasn’t adopted for some “odd” reason, they agreed he could then join the fur family.
Blaze the Kitten Sets Hearts on Fire
So, Dapper and de-wormed, Blaze was ready to set hearts on fire as his rescuers predicted. He was one extremely lucky and charmed kitten, finding a place with A Kitten Place’s foster program. When he was vaccinated and neutered, he went to the rescue’s partners at the Sassy Cat Club Café in Brandon, Florida.
Blaze via Facebook/ A Kitten Place
They described Blaze like this:
“Meet Blaze, the sweetest male kitten you’ll ever cuddle with! This little ball of fur is not just adorable; he’s a true hug enthusiast. Blaze may start off a bit shy, but once he warms up to you, get ready for a cuddle fest like no other. His velvety soft fur is reminiscent of a bunny’s, making each snuggle session extra cozy.”
Grown-up kitty at the Sassy Cat Club Café in Brandon, Florida.
With such cuddly qualities, it didn’t take long for Blaze to charm his way into the hearts of his furever family. Happy smiles that may not have been, confirmed Blaze was exactly where he was meant to be. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who helped this cutie blaze his way into a happy and bright future!
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A family adopted kitten from the Sassy Cat Club Café in Brandon, Florida.
