Our dog friends don’t seem to be aware of their size. A chihuahua, for instance, won’t hesitate to chase a Doberman. For dogs, size doesn’t seem to matter. But for our feline friends, it’s another story. Sure our kitties may have lion-sized personalities but they definitely do seem to know their limits, size wise. Feral cats will often run if they hear footsteps, and if a big, scary human winds up in the picture it’s enough to set them fleeing. That’s the precarious situation one tiny and frightened kitten found herself in. She was all alone and in a situation that could turn out to be very dangerous. Because she found herself on the concrete ledge of a bridge overlooking a river.
The Green Bridge was overlooking the Manatee River in Florida.
Florida’s Manatee County is a land of amazing wildlife including dolphins, manatees (of course), and alligators who might think a kitten would make a great snack. Undoubtedly that’s one of the possibilities that worried James Yarnell, an officer with the Manatee County Animal Services. He decided to approach the frightened kitten cautiously.
But then the worst of all possibilities occurred.
The kitten leaped off the ledge and into the river. Yarnell knew the kitten’s situation was now dire as the river is also deep and wide in some places.
“Pure fear,” tugged at him. “I was so scared for that kitten, that it wasn’t going to make it,” he told ABC 7.
But Fate Had Other Ideas
A boat was making its way downriver, carrying the crew from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and they scooped up the kitten. And now her situation was definitely beginning to look brighter thanks to these kind individuals who stepped in.
“Without their help, we wouldn’t have been able to get that kitten out of the water as quickly as we did,” Yarnell added.
Now, the buffy and gray-striped kitten has a name, Ariel. And lots of people who care about her. She’s soon going to be ready for adoption and has been recovering at the Manatee County Animal Services in Palmetto, Florida.
“She’s an adorable three-month-old kitten,” Hans Wolgefahrt, who’s an Outreach and Event Specialist for Manatee County Animal Services, told the news station. “It’s heartwarming that she’s simply alive right now after going through something like that.”
Things were looking better for sweet Ariel, but there was one big bump in the road.
Officials discovered she was dealing with internal bleeding, probably from her mighty leap off the bridge. So she was transferred to a 24-hour animal hospital. This little fighter suffered a ruptured stomach but she is recuperating like the little champion she is.
“She is doing well and getting some much-needed R&R in a foster home. We are now taking applications from potential adopters.”
Ariel is a remarkable little survivor and some lucky person will soon be able to take her home. She’s so darned cute and obviously loves to cuddle.
If you’d like to adopt this adorable baby, you can contact Manatee County Animal Services here.
The situation could have ended tragically for this beautiful little soul. But she’s going to have a happy ending thanks to the kind folks who rescued her. Great work heroes!
