Utah Family Brings Life Back to a Kitten Found Frozen in the Snow
— -- A Utah family had a lot more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving when they brought life back to a seemingly dead cat, and an adorable video of the rescue posted to YouTube on Dec. 14 is now going viral.
The Bingham family woke up on Thanksgiving morning to about a foot of snow while vacationing at a lodge in Garden City, Utah and immediately ran outside to enjoy it, Branden Bingham told ABC News today.
Outside of the lodge, his son ran into something that could have potentially ruined a happy holiday, Branden Bingham said.
"My oldest son kind of tripped and fell right next to what he thought was a dead cat, a tiny little white snowball kitten," Branden Bingham said. "I was totally sure the cat was dead."
He didn’t know what to do with the motionless kitten lying face down in the snow, he said, but his animal-loving brother, Justin Bingham, who has taken pre-veterinary classes, took it inside of the house in an attempt to show the kids a "miracle."
"I actually took the kids back outside to have fun while Justin worked with the cat," Branden Bingham said. "We played outside, threw snowballs and tried to get back to a happy Thanksgiving morning."
Meanwhile, Justin Bingham sat in front of the fireplace rubbing the kitten, moving him around in his hands and even pumping his chest to get the blood flowing, Justin Bingham told ABC News today.
"It was a good hour before he showed a visible breath," Justin Bingham said. "Then finally after rubbing his back and rubbing his belly and under his arms and his head, he twitched his mouth and I saw his tongue move."
The kitten's previously-dilated eyes got their "beautiful" blue color back, his ears started twitching and he became the “crazy, rambunctious kitten” he is today, Justin Bingham said.
When Branden Bingham and his family returned to the house, he said he was "blown away" by what he saw.
"The adults were stunned and the kids were joy-filled, jumping up and down. They were running around the lodge yelling to every kid who didn't know yet, 'The cat's alive!'" Branden Bingham said.
The brothers' cousin Becca initially took the kitten home with her because Branden Bingham's wife is allergic and Justin Bingham already has two cats of his own, but after visiting the cat, and after Branden Bingham's wife had no allergic reaction, Branden Bingham's family took it home with them.
Originally named "Lazarus" by Becca, the kitten has become Branden Bingham's "best buddy," he said.
"My kids have no idea who Lazarus is and they want to call him Olaf because they know Olaf as this thing raised from the snow and given life," he added. "So his name is Lazarus-Olaf and anyone can call him what they want."
