Sometimes, the smallest voices make the biggest difference.
Earlier this month, San Antonio Animal Care Services (San Antonio ACS) officer Rosemarie Tutak received a call about a cat believed to be stuck inside a storm drain. With limited information but a sense of urgency, she headed straight to the location.
When Tutak arrived, there was no sign of a cat anywhere nearby. As she searched the area, three young children and their father stepped outside and explained what had happened. Earlier that day, the kids had spotted a tiny kitten crying from inside a storm drain a short distance away.
Worried and unsure how to help on their own, the children decided to take action. They wrote a handwritten note and left it near the drain, hoping someone would see it and come to the kitten’s rescue.
Following the kids’ directions, Tutak went to the spot where the note had been placed. Almost immediately, she heard faint meows echoing from below. She lifted the heavy manhole cover and looked down — and there, huddled inside, was a small calico kitten.
“The entire family was watching from across the street,” Lisa Norwood, public relations manager for San Antonio ACS, told The Dodo.
Climbing down into the drain wasn’t safe, so Tutak quickly came up with another plan. She tied a blanket to a rope and carefully lowered it into the opening, hoping the kitten would grab on.
“The kitten clutched the blanket, and Officer Tutak was able to pull her up with the rope,” Norwood said.
Once safely out, the kitten wasted no time eating the food Tutak offered her. After checking her over and confirming she wasn’t injured, Tutak invited the children to come meet the kitten they’d helped save. The kids were thrilled — and proudly announced they’d named her Mimi.
“She was able to reassure them right away,” Norwood said. “‘The kitten’s OK. She’s hungry, but she’s not injured.’”
Tutak then brought Mimi back to the San Antonio ACS shelter, where she was given time to rest and recover from her frightening ordeal. Before long, Mimi caught the eye of a potential adopter and will soon head to her forever home after being spayed.
The children were relieved and grateful to know the kitten was safe. But according to the San Antonio ACS team, the real heroes were the kids themselves.
“They’re the ones who noticed an animal in need and refused to ignore it,” Norwood said. “They saved her life.”
