In 1996, firefighters found the stray - herself badly burned - carrying her five kittens out of danger. She touched their noses as if to reassure herself before collapsing into unconsciousness.
One kitten died of a virus. Long Island's North Shore Animal League found homes for the rest.
Scarlett's eyelids were deformed, her ear tips were burned off, and the fur on her face never grew back.
She was adopted by Karen Wellen of Brooklyn.
Says Wellen: "I can't stop crying."
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