Badly-burned kitten found alive in woods 8 days after Isanti County home explosion
ISANTI COUNTY, Minn. — A cat in Isanti County is recovering after surviving a house explosion, and then keeping itself alive for more than a week in the wilderness.
Miss Piggy, a 4-month-old kitten, was lost for eight days last month.
When the homeowner's daughter found her in the nearby woods, Miss Piggy was hurt and badly malnourished.
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"All four of her paw pads are completely burned, some down to the tendons," Hannah Waggoner, who's now fostering Miss Piggy, said. "[They're] very deep, severe burns."
Waggoner says the cat's pain is the worst part.
"These animals are so fragile, but they're so resilient, so it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that she would be out there fighting for herself," she said.
Waggoner's keeping Miss Piggy comfortable and bringing her regularly to Ruff Start Rescue in Princeton for vet care.
"It makes you feel good when you can help in these situations, especially in a situation where there's high levels of emotion," Waggoner said.
Waggoner says Miss Piggy's family made the difficult decision to surrender her as they deal with the aftermath of the explosion.
Another one of their cats, Squiggles, was found at the scene and is also now being fostered while she recovers from burns of her own.
Waggoner says it'll take some time, but Miss Piggy is going to make a full recovery.
Ruff Start Rescue is accepting donations to go toward her medical care as well as her future adoption fees.
A woman in the house was treated for some burns, but she's expected to recover.
Fire officials haven't said what the cause of the fire or explosion was.