CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Captain Garrett Smith with Transit Police was driving down Independence Boulevard Tuesday morning in rush hour traffic when he saw something move on the side of the road. He says, “I immediately pulled over, stopped traffic, turned blue lights on, stopped everybody, ran out and saw it was a kitten.”
The six-year law enforcement veteran put the crying kitten in his car and drove her to Mint Hill Animal Hospital. Dr. Allison Jones looked her over, and diagnosed a broken leg, likely from being hit by a car. Jones says, “She basically broke it in half and it slipped behind it.” The break was too high for a splint or a cast. Captain Smith had two choices: $1,400 surgery to fix it, or the cat would have to be put down.
“We didn’t want him to have to make that choice or pay that bill,” says Killer Kitties Rescue director Angela Laws. She caught wind of the cop and the cat, started a fundraiser and within about 24 hours, raised $2,200 for leg surgery, after care and spay surgery. She laughs and says, “(It was) Fast. Very fast.”
On Friday, the kitten got to leave the vet. Dr. Jones says, “She should make a full recovery and lead a normal life.” The kitten’s been adopted by her hero, Captain Smith. But he insists, he is not the hero of this story. “It’s incredible. Amazing. I never thought it would be possible. Those are the real heroes. All the donors, the Killer Kitties Rescue group, all the staff (at Mint Hill Animal Hospital), it’s amazing.”
The six-week-old kitten hasn’t been named yet, but Dr. Jones suggested “Indy” since she was rescued on Independence Boulevard. Captain Smith says he likes that name, too.
If you’d like to make a donation to the Killer Kitties Rescue group to help them provide care for other animals, go to their Facebook page here.