Milo the cat was badly burned in the McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team

A severely burned cat in West Kelowna has made a full recovery and found a forever home after weeks of care.

The cat called Milo was found by firefighters when the McDougall Creek wildfire flared up in the middle August. They quickly made arrangements to rush it to emergency veterinary care. 

“The cat was in really bad shape and no one knew if he would make it,” said Debra McBride with the Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team in the Okanagan. “The prognosis can be difficult with burns, new tissue has to grow. Some will make it and some won’t, but this cat was a fighter.”

The animal emergency response team works to evacuate domestic animals and livestock in the south and central Okanagan during emergencies. The team responded to the McDougall Lake wildfire that started in the middle of August and rapidly grew, forcing the evacuation of West Kelowna and parts of Kelowna.

McBride, the executive director for the rescue organization, said in Milo’s case, it was the firefighters and the veterinary staff who saved him.

“The vets and staff and animal health technicians, even the support staff, all supported this cat with donated time and care,” she said. “We offered financial help but they did it on their own. It's really incredible how much love and care was given to this cat." 

Milo is a cat who was rescued by firefighters from McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team

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Due to the physical damage from the burns, the cat will have to be an indoor cat. McBride said the owners had to surrender it because of severe allergies.

For a fairytale ending, the cat was then adopted by the veterinarian who nursed it back to health.

READ MORE: Time running out for McDougall Creek wildfire evacuees to claim expenses

McBride wouldn’t disclose which local veterinarian saved and took in the cat because she hasn’t been granted permission to share that information.

The Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team is a volunteer-based charitable organization that prepares for and carries out evacuations, rescues, and shelters domestic animals and livestock in times of disaster. 

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