kitten rescued from California wildfires is named Baby Yoda

Tiny kitten with large ears resembles Baby Yoda

Meet Baby Yoda, a 2-3-week-old kitten rescued from the North Complex Fire in California. Six Mutual Aid Firefighters found the tiny kitten in the middle of the road, covered in smoke, ash and dirt. They rushed her to Cal Oak Animal Shelter for veterinary care. When she arrived, she was in need of a bath quickly. IFAW has supported Baby Yoda’s medical expenses and the kitten is now being cared for by a medical foster who is providing around the clock attention.

"I had just come off the shelter floor for a quick drink of water when I noticed one of the North Valley Animal Disaster Group (NVADG) volunteers holding this tiny, tiny kitten who had just gotten a bath. My camera was close by and I snapped a few photos. The vet estimated Baby Yoda to be about 3 weeks old. What a tremendous will to live when faced with insurmountable odds. Wonder how many lives Baby Yoda has left?" said Barb Davis, IFAW responder.

So many animals like Baby Yoda were in need of rescue from the devastating North Complex Fire in California. On September 11th, IFAW’s Disaster Response team deployed to Butte County to set up temporary animal shelters, rescue animals from the wreckage, and provide veterinary support to our partner on the ground.

For more information on adoptions:

Evacuation teams are assigned Dispatch calls each morning and spend long days responding to requests from owners to either bring in their animals or feed/water them in place. Sometimes the Evacuation teams or other First Responders come across injured animals not on their roster of calls. They safely assess the animal’s condition and bring them in for immediate veterinary care. Pictures of each animal are taken and entered onto a dedicated website https://phshelter.com/event/northcomplex .

There are directions to follow on the site for folks to follow. These animals are ‘unclaimed’ until their owner comes forward. Each unclaimed animal is cared for over a 30-day holding period while we look for their owners. At the end of the holding period unclaimed animals will be up for adoption through Butte County Animal Control local partners. More information will be available at http://www.buttecounty.net/publichealth/Animals once a holding period date is set by the authorities. Until that date is announced there will be no adoptions accepted for any unclaimed animals.