The Story of the Miracle Kitten

Last week my kids got to experience a kitten rescue story firsthand. My husband had driven an 8 hour work commute and kept hearing a noise that sounded like a cat while he was driving. He pulled over and looked under the hood and around the wheel base several times just to make sure there was nothing there, but couldn’t find any stowaway cat. By the time he got home and the kids heard the first meow, we could tell that we were in for an amazing experience. If there really was a cat under the hood, this would be either the biggest miracle kitten story, or a sad time for three children.

The Story of the Miracle Kitten

You should have seen our family out searching Dad’s truck. We had flashlights shining under all the tires and all 5 of us looking under the engine. We just kept hearing the Meow but couldn’t find a cat – anywhere. We would all get really quiet, and then we’d hear it again. We were finally convinced that there was a live cat somewhere under the engine. But how could it have survived on a hot summer day for that long under the engine.

My husband finally saw 2 shining eyes glaring out at him from under the engine. When he realized he couldn’t reach it, he pulled out the water hose to entice the kitten out to safety. It only took one quick spray to have the little black miracle kitten scurry out from under the engine.

We enlisted the help of a neighbor to help feed the kitten with some milk in a dropper, wrapped it in a blanket and kept it warm in a pet carrier.

The next morning we found a local animal shelter to help find this little Miracle Kitten a home.

My daughter tells the story better than I can. The next morning I found her at the kitchen table writing and illustrating the true story of the Miracle Kitten.

What I learned

I have very little experience rescuing cats or dogs. I never dreamed it would be so difficult to find a home for a young kitten. With this animal rescue, I realized for the first time how important it is to spay and neuter your pets.

I also learned several important things about no-kill shelters. I hate the idea of good cats and dogs being put to sleep. But after spending hours talking to shelters, friends, animal activist and veterinarians, I realized that there is a serious problem with unwanted cats and dogs.

Adopting or owning a pet is serious commitment. It took us almost 10 years to decide to adopt a dog. But once we made the decision to adopt our yorkie, we knew that we would own this dog until it dies. He has become a part of the family. It’s not always convenient to be a pet owner, but it is always worth it.

This Miracle Kitten endured so much in the 48 hours it spent under our care. We had no control of how it came to be under our truck, make the long journey or enter our life, but we did have the responsibility to give it the best possible chance at a good long life.

What an amazing experience this was for our kids. I am so glad they got the opportunity to help rescue a kitten and see their Daddy become a hero to that small animal.

What we plan to do next

My kids have already decided that they want to do something special for some of the pets in the local animal shelter. So I guess we’ll be looking for some coupons for food to donate and we’ll be looking into the possibility of volunteering to help these animals that need some special love.

Have you ever rescued or adopted an animal? Do you have any tips or experiences that my kids and I can learn from? I’d love to hear!