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Firefighters adopt cat saved from a bin during Nouvelle-Aquitaine wildfires
Found weighing just 309g, Saumos has now become the youngest member of the fire station
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A kitten rescued from a bin during this summer’s wildfires has officially joined the fire station of the firefighters who saved him.
A firefighter had found the cat in a bin on July 31 while responding to the wildfires that were affecting the Gironde area. At the time, he weighed just 309g and he was taken to the care of local charity Les Chats’Pitres de la Presqu’île.
The firefighters had wanted to adopt him from the beginning, but decided to leave him with the association while he was young so he could grow up around other cats and avoid behavioural problems.
The association looked after him for around a month and a half, allowing him to grow and spend time around other cats before he joined the firefighters.
The cat has been named Saumos, after the commune where he was found, and was officially welcomed as a member of the Bassens fire station near Bordeaux on September 14.
He now weighs around 1.2kg and has been described as healthy, calm and sociable.
At the station he has his own basket and will be cared for collectively by the station's 94 firefighters.
A system has even been put in place to keep track of his meals and make sure the kitten is not overfed by his many new carers.
"After a difficult intervention, if we can't talk to our colleagues and we need some cuddles, we'll come and talk to Saumos," said Chaïb Bouglala, a member of the firefighters' association to France 3.
His arrival has also attracted attention online and Saumos now has his own Instagram account, which has already gained almost 18,000 followers.
In a post announcing his arrival, those behind the account wrote that he was "discovering his new home" and appeared to be settling in well.
"After all these adventures, our little Saumos is slowly discovering his new home... and he seems to be feeling rather good there!" they wrote.
The kitten had also attracted public support, with the fire station receiving messages, drawings, cat food and other donations for him.
