After a Puyallup family was forced to evacuate their home on Aug. 21 due to the cold storage fire, their pregnant foster cat safely delivered her kittens at a Federal Way hotel.
The family was fostering Moon, a pregnant cat from the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County who was due to give birth any time.
“We woke up Saturday morning to a ‘Go Now’ evacuation order. We got the kids dressed and put Moon in her carrier,” said Rebecca Thompson, Moon’s foster parent. “We didn’t know when we could go back to the house. We decided to just find a room for the night.”
The Puyallup fire began around 5:20 a.m. on Aug. 21 at a facility near 15th Street Southeast and East Main, and led to a three-alarm response from several fire departments. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Evacuation orders encouraged anyone within a one mile of the facility to evacuate. In total, about 10,000 residents were told by Central Pierce Fire and Rescue to evacuate.
Within an hour of Thompson and her family settling into a room at the La Quinta Inn in Federal Way, Moon started to go into labor.
“We all joked that tonight would be the night she would have her babies. Sure enough, I noticed her having contractions within the hour and she was not going to give up her cozy bed. My 12-year-old son and I got some towels under her,” Thompson said.
A few hours later, Moon had given birth to five healthy babies and one stillborn. Moon and her babies are back in their foster home doing well, according to the Humane Society.
For the foster family, they agreed it was an experience they’ll never forget.
“This is the third year we have fostered through the shelter,” Thompson said. “This was an incredible experience for our family, and definitely one we will remember! We checked in with one cat, and checked out with six.”
The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County relies on foster parents to help save lives, just like Moon and her babies.
Those interested in fostering can fill out an application on the shelter’s website. Donations to help make a difference for animals in need can also be made on the shelter’s donation page.
The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County is one of the oldest animal welfare organizations in the nation and cares for around 10,000 animals every year.
For more information, visit www.thehumanesociety.org.
