Posted: Dec. 2, 2008, 3 a.m. EST
A tiny blue-eyed kitten will help Joyce Nelson of Yorba Linda, Calif., begin to rebuild her life, which changed Nov. 15 when her home burned down. Nelson lost her cat, Pansy, in the fire that destroyed 100 other homes in her neighborhood, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
“When the home burnt down, I was devastated,” Nelson said. “But now we’re going to have more rooms — to rescue more kids and animals.”
Nelson was providing foster care for a litter of kittens from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services when the fire struck. She saved all but one of her 23 animals — including cats, dogs, horses, goats and pigs.
Nelson and her husband, Todd, are leasing a home in Yorba Linda while their house is being rebuilt — with more bedrooms. The new kitten will be one of the first residents of the new house.
And the kitten’s name?
“How about Phoenix, rising from the ashes?” Todd suggested.
“She needs a pretty name,” said Joyce, who decided on Lilly.