An sweet little kitten which suffered horrific burns in a bonfire has been adopted by the veterinary nurse who helped him survive and make a miracle recovery.

The seven-week old animal was give just a slim chance of survival when it was rescued by police officers who spotted him lying in the road near a bonfire.

He was taken to Pride Veterinary Centre in Derby on September 15 and needed an operation to save his eye and dress his wounds.

But miraculously, the kitten survived and veterinary nurse Jenni Gretton was so taken with him she started an online campaign to raise money for his treatment.

Incredibly, just six hours after launching the campaign, wellwishers donated £2,000 to cover his vet’s bills, BirminghamLive reports.

Jenni, 32, has now adopted the kitten, which she has named ‘Fire Cat’ after no one came forward to claim him.

The mum-of-one has to cover his feet in cling film to help them heal and now moistures his eyes several times a day so they don’t dry out.

Jenni, from Mickelover, Derbys., said: “He smelled of burnt hair because he was singed. All of his fur was charred and his ears and whiskers were burnt.

“All of the skin on his face was burnt and his eyes were really quite singed. His ears were clinging over the top and he was really sore.

“He looked worse a few days later when the skin started to peel off – the skin on his face peeled away after a few days.

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“He was very small and weak and didn’t want to do anything.

“We put him on fluids because we didn’t know if he could eat or drink but didn’t really expect him to survive.

“It was difficult to know whether to carry on with treatment or not. We decided to try.

“We were really unsure at that point what to do because we had never seen a kitten that had been so badly burnt before.

“We knew there was a high risk of him getting an infection or not being able to breathe properly and we knew how much pain he was in.

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“But we wanted to give him a chance, so we started treatment starting with pain relief.

“His eyes were really burnt. I flushed his eyes out and cleaned his face to see how bad his injuries were.

“His lips were burnt away right to his teeth.

“Over a period of a couple of days he was doing well. Soon his demeanour and behaviour got much better.

“Nobody had come forward looking for him so I offered to take him home.

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“We still don’t know who his owners were, what happened to him or whether it was malicious or not.

“Maybe they didn’t call for him because they didn’t think he would survive his injuries.

“I took him home after seven days and his hair started falling off.

“I was bathing him throughout the day and putting vaseline on his wounds. His skin fell off his face, nose and nostrils.”

The cat now lives with Jenni, her husband Phil Gretton, 42, and their two-year-old son Jude.

She said: “When my son saw him, he just called him Fire Cat. Although we tried to call him something else, it stuck.

“He fitted in straight away at home and plays with our Cavalier cross breeds, Harvey and Ringo.

“He is really happy and really bright. He is just like a normal kitten except that he looks different.

“I didn't think he would get his hair back but it is growing back. He’s too young to go outside and won’t be going out for a while.”

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