Police Officers often wear body cameras to document actions taken in emergency situations so they can be reviewed later. For Officer Jason Smith in North Kansas City, Missouri, a recorded video from one of his dispatches on December 20th, 2018 would change his life forever. It would be viewed thousands of time by people all over the world.
The “purrpetrator” apprehended during the video…a tiny kitten only a couple of months old!
Photo: @highwaykitty
A call had come in 5 hours before about a kitten on the I-29 highway, but officers were unable to locate one. Then Officer Smith received additional details that the kitten was “hiding behind the hand”. He knew exactly where to look!
A few months earlier, a mysterious Mickey Mouse glove had appeared standing erect on the median of the busy roadway. Sure enough, when Officer Smith approached the odd item he found the young kitten huddling beside it! With cars zooming by, he didn’t want to chance the kitten darting out into the traffic. Calling animal control, he anxiously awaited their arrival so they could work together to save the kitten.
Photo: YouTube video screenshot
Traffic began to slow down though and he knew it was the right time to cautiously try to grab the kitten himself. Donning thick gloves, he walked up to the kitten, using a soothing voice to try to keep it calm.
Although the kitten loudly meowed at the large human walking up to it, it allowed Officer Smith to simply grab it without fleeing! (Watch the video at the end of this article!)
Photo: YouTube video screenshot
As soon as they got back to his vehicle, the kitten began purring like crazy. Right away, it climbed back into his lap for even more thankful snuggles. It was a little girl and had a bit of a singed tail. He could only speculate that she had been hiding in someones car, gotten burned and fallen out as they drove.
Photo: YouTube video screenshot
The baby girl bravely explored her new safe surroundings. Officer Smith decided to take her back to the police station and then to the veterinarian himself. She was happy to purr contentedly during the trip. So much so, that she accidentally activated the siren as she gleefully pranced in the front seat!
The kitten was taken to the vet, treated for her tail injury, vaccinated and spayed. There was no way to determine where she’d come from and no microchip to locate an owner. During the next few days, she was on a temporary and required hold in case an owner came forward. No one did.
Photo: @highwaykitty
This was good news for Officer Smith though…he quickly stepped in to adopt the adorable girl!
He named her Bella and even started an Instagram page just for the little viral video star. Now we can all stay up-to-date on the adventures of the happy little highway kitty! In tribute, he returned to the highway and retrieved the glove that helped save Bella’s life.
Not only does she have a loving human family, she has 2 dog siblings, Charlie and Zoey, as well as a feline brother, Jasper.
Sadly the family had lost one of their beloved cats, Jasper’s brother Mocha, a few months ago. As many of us believe, our “animal angels” send us new animals to help fill the hole in our hearts their absence created. Perhaps Bella was just that? A gift from Mocha watching over them all.
Thank you to the Smith family for welcoming Bella into their home and for Officer Smith’s dedication to helping those in need, human or animal–and for sharing the video!
REMEMBER: ADOPT, DON’T SHOP & SPAY AND NEUTER!
Related Story: NEW UPDATES! Two Kittens Rescued From Extreme Circumstances; Now On The Road To Recovery
Related Story: “Pawlitician” Gets Our Animal-Hero Vote For Rescuing This Cat Dangerously Stuck On Highway
Photo: @highwaykitty
This is another reason to support those in blue!!
Love it!
So true???
Yes!
Looks like 2 different cats! We get mostly pictures of a black and white cat and then the cat the officer saved turns out to be more of a golden brown. Then later on we see a black and white cat in a sink. What’s up with that? I would appreciate it if you guys could leave the pictures to match the animal that saved and not try an interweave other pictures of other animals. It’s too confusing!
This kitten has a very specific face marking (Upside down L on her nose) and it is clearly the same cat in each pictures. She looks to be pointed (Siamese type) and their points get darker as they get older. They are born completely white and their color develops over time. She just is older and darker in her at home pictures.
It’s the same cat.
It is the same cat, it just looks different due to the lighting, and how the light hits the fur. If you check out the Instagram page you can see all the pictures. Plus it was probably dirty when it was rescued, having been on a divider in the middle of the highway.
My own kitten, Sable, has gotten progressively darker as she’s gotten older, and who knew Siamese cats could have spotted coloring? She actually has a pattern to her fawn coloring that’s almost black over her eye sockets…could be because she has no eyes though.
Either way C&M aren’t substituting pics of random cats to add to the story, they are all pics of Bella…check it out before making accusations.
Thanks for a great story JessiCat!
Look again. The kitty in the sink is NOT black and white. This happened in our city. This is the kitty that the officer rescued.
The black and white kitten is the next story not this one.
You ever hear of lighting? Cats’ fur looks different in different lighting. It’s most definitely the same cat.
It is all of the same kitten. Perhaps the angle and lighting of your phone or whatever you viewed this with was a bit off at the time. Every picture of the kitten is clear and shows her unique colouring for my device though.
The cat in the sink is not black & white. It’s the same cat. Also, the lighting isn’t the same for all pictures.
It’s the same cat. It’s got the same white marking on its face throughout the photos.
Some jerk had to have dumped her on that wall. No way she could’ve jumped up there like that. People suck. I’m glad this officer saved her. And that dispatch cared enough to actually put the call out. Many rescuers wouldn’t have deemed this worthy of their time or resources.
This story made me cry, it’s so wonderfully kind and so very sweet. May GOD continue to bless and keep Officer Smith and his family.
What a sweet story. Officer Smith deserves an award for rescuing the little kitty! And I also believe that Bella was a gift sent from the powers that be!