Kittens burned in pet shop blaze up for adoption

When Woodhaven resident Lenore Telesca brought &#8220Ember” into Central Veterinary Associates (CVA) in Valley Stream, the badly-burned black kitten weighed only one pound and was singed on its eyes, nose, ears and paws. Ember, along with five other kittens had been kept in a metal cage in Bob's Pet Center when the store caught fire two weeks ago. As the three-alarm fire spread in the store, the kittens' cage had heated up, burning their paws and faces.
&#8220The biggest problem was smoke inhalation,” said Dr. John Charos, one of 16 veterinarians at Central Vet.
Fluid had leaked into their lungs, and although firefighters nursed the kittens with oxygen masks outside the Jamaica Avenue pet shop, one kitten died, and the rest were in bad shape. The second smallest kitten weighed 2.2 pounds at CVA, and had been burned straight through one of its ears. Although the kittens' eyes were sealed shut from the smoke, they were fortunate that their lungs did not collapse, Charos said.
During the pet store fire, 130 firefighters responded to the scene and saved dozens of the 200 animals in the store, but all of the birds and more than a dozen pets - which included cats, dogs, and guinea pigs - were killed.
Luckily for the young felines, Telesca, a licensed veterinary technician, immediately brought the animals to Central Vet for care - which included antibiotics, pain medication, and bandages for their paws and faces. Charos estimated the cost of their care as over $1,000, all of which was done free.
The five kittens, which Telesca nicknamed Ember, Smokey, Cinder, Cole and Bob, also had to wear Elizabethan collars to stop them from licking their open wounds. After two weeks of treatment, which also included topical medicines, standard vaccinations and lots of rest, the kittens began to come alive again, Charos said.
&#8220They are all fighters,” Charos said, as he took the scrawny kittens from their recovery cages and removed their collars to show them to The Queens Courier.
Within the next two weeks, the vet said he hoped to put the kittens up for adoption - after their treatment and recovery is complete. By then, the kittens - one black, two tabbies, one calico, and one calico and white - should be healed. Four of the kittens are between six and eight-weeks-old and may have been from the same litter, but &#8220Bob,” a bright-eyed brown tabby, is about 12-weeks-old.
Charos said that the office often has little trouble placing kittens.
&#8220Everybody takes kittens,” he said. &#8220It's the older animals that are a lot harder to place. We have a bunch of cats here as well.”
Currently at the office, located at 73 Merrick Road in Valley Stream, there are over 15 animals - several cats and kittens, one dog, and one puppy - up for adoption.
Ellen, a three-year-old mini poodle that was run over by a car and found in Bayside, is now recovered and ready for a good home, as is Toby, an energetic seven-month-old pit bull/shepherd mix. There are two four-week-old kittens, Champagne and Tux, which are caramel and black and white respectively.
Charos estimated that the office and their chain offices, one of which is located in Bayside, place about 500 pets per year with adoptive families.
&#8220Hopefully this [article] gets the word out,” Charos said, &#8220Because as soon as we get these guys adopted, then we can get more [pets] in here.”