It was a blisteringly hot afternoon in Pembroke Pines, Florida, when police sergeant Mike Matthis pulled into a local restaurant for lunch. But before he could even step away from his cruiser, something unusual caught his eye.
A small paw suddenly flicked out from the bumper of a nearby parked car.
“[H]e noticed a cat paw suddenly swat out from inside a nearby car’s bumper,” the Pembroke Pines Police Department (PPPD) shared on Facebook.
Matthis immediately crouched down to investigate the front grille. Staring back at him was a frightened, fluffy kitten wedged deep behind the bumper.
“A kitten had somehow gotten trapped behind the grating,” PPPD wrote.
With temperatures climbing, Matthis knew the kitten didn’t have much time. He wasn’t sure how long the baby had been stuck inside the car, but the heat made the situation urgent. There was just one problem — he needed the vehicle owner’s permission before he could do anything.
So Matthis sprang into action, searching the area until he found the car’s owner and explained the situation.
“Sergeant Matthis was able to locate the owner and, with their permission, cut open the bumper to free the cat,” PPPD said.
Moments later, the shaken kitten — soon nicknamed Bumper — was safely in Matthis’ arms. He was filthy, a little feisty, and clearly relieved to be out of danger.
Matthis took the kitten home to foster, giving him a warm bath and a soft place to rest. The plan was temporary — at least at first.
Less than 24 hours later, everything changed.
“UPDATE: Foster failure!” PPPD wrote in a comment. “Sergeant Matthis is keeping ‘Bumper’ (now renamed Loki).”
Now fully settled into his new life, Loki is thriving with the officer who saved him. And for Matthis, what began as an ordinary lunch break turned into a life-changing moment — one that gave a tiny kitten a second chance and gained an unexpected new family member in return.
