A three-day-old kitten and only survivor of a kitchen fire in New Hope that killed 13 cats and kittens is progressing toward health, according to the supervisor of the Josephine County Animal Shelter.

"Josephine," as the staff at Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center referred to her, now has a foster mother at the animal shelter who has bonded with her, supplying milk and maternal care kittens need at such a young age.

"The kitten did have some pretty severe smoke inhalation," said the Josephine County Animal Shelter's supervisor, Laura Jansen. "It's a very young kitten, maybe two to three days old--still has the umbilical cord."

The shelter staff brought Josephine to a lactating cat named Scarlet, leaving the pair alone to prompt the small kitten to latch on herself. Jansen explained that attempting to feed on her own is a sign the kitten is progressing toward health.

"That's a really good thing to see in a kitten that young, that [s]he's got the 'oomph' to even try, so we're cautiously optimistic," she said. "I can't lie, when I heard the age of the kitten I thought, "Oh no, this might be tough, we've got our work cut out for us," but Scarlet is her adoptive mom and she's being a very good mama."

Jansen described how Scarlet instantly began taking care of Josephine, explaining that when mother cats clean their kittens it provides important stimulation that prompts the baby animals' instinct to eat.

If Josephine is unable to feed on her own, Jansen said the shelter has backup bottle feeders ready to help.

"We always need bottle feeders," Jansen said. "We have a foster program run by Shelter Friends, a volunteer nonprofit group."

The volunteers at Shelter Friends' primary task is caring for "kittens during kitten season," Jansen said. "We get hundreds of kittens every year."

To volunteer with Shelter Friends in Josephine County, visit their website or call