KIRKLAND, Wash. — A kitten that went viral after being found in the ashes of a burned Maui home has been sent to Kirkland for adoption.
Like many Lahaina residents, Rumi Roms evacuated her home as quickly as possible to escape the flames that had engulfed parts of Maui in early August.
Roms risked her own life to carry her cats out of the house but one escaped and she was unable to find her beloved pet.
Two days later, police allowed Roms back into her neighborhood where an AirTag showed her cat roaming the street.
When she arrived at her old home which had been burnt to ashes, she noticed a week-old kitten screaming for help under the debris.
Roms saved the kitten from the toxic ash and took him to the Maui Kitty Charm Farm which had been helping with rescues.
A video of Roms finding the small animal soon went viral and the kitten was given the name “Phoenix.”
The Maui Kitty Charm Farm then partnered with the Whole Cat and Kaboodle in Kirkland to take Phoenix to Washington for adoption.
“When the Phoenix video went viral, we received hundreds of requests to adopt him” Kitty Charm Farm Founder Sarah Haynes said. “But we always knew that THE WHOLE CAT AND KABOODLE deserved to be placed in our most famous fire rescue. They have helped us place nearly 100 cats since we began working with them, all into loving indoor homes. We knew this amazing adoption center would find the perfect home for our precious Phoenix”.
Even though this story had a happy ending for Phoenix, the Maui Humane Society says that from 250 to 500 cats remain in the burn scar while other organizations say the number is twice that.
About 150 cats have been rescued since the fire and feeding stations have been set up in the burned areas. However, other cats have been waiting eleven weeks to be rescued due to limited shelter space.
The area is still closed to the majority of residents looking to find their lost pets.