Rabbits rescued from Katy house fire on the mend

Almost two dozen rabbits rescued from a Katy house fire that left three women dead are getting care from a west Houston animal shelter and will be available for adoption after they recover.

According to West I-10 Fire Department Assistant Chief Sam Henderson, firefighters found 23 rabbits in cages on the back porch of the Williamsburg Colony home Sunday morning a few minutes after discovering the bodies of three women, whose identities have not yet been released. 

Firefighters alerted the Special Pals animal shelter, which dispatched a team to the house in the 22800 block of Braken Carter Lane.

"Luckily I already had cages in the van, and we were able to go directly to the scene,"  said Special Pals Executive Director Yvonne David.

Flames from the fire, which was later blamed on a malfunctioning electrical appliance, never reached the rabbits, but they suffered from smoke inhalation and had been drenched with cold water from firefighters' hoses.

"A fireman brought me one rabbit who did not appear to be breathing," David said. "I gave him CPR, and the EMS personnel supplied him with oxygen. All of sudden he 'came to' and started breathing on his own. We're calling him Phoenix."

After the animals have recovered, they will be available for adoption, but in the meantime Special Pals is requesting donations of fresh produce for the rabbits, such as lettuce, carrots, Timothy hay, celery, grapes and apples.

For more information on the rabbits, call the shelter at 281-579-7387.