Woman Spots 'Given Up' Kitten in Pool of Water, She Knows What To Do
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
When a woman from South Carolina found a tiny tuxedo kitten lying face down in a puddle in the middle of the road, she didn't hesitate to step in and save his life.
In a viral TikTok video shared on Monday under the username @mikeysmadlit, the poster's wife can be seen carefully approaching the kitten, then gently lifting him from the water, and taking him away to safety.
At the end of the clip, the small kitty can be seen drying off inside a cardboard box filled with warm towels.
"My wife got chosen on Mother's Day" the poster wrote in the caption.
After taking him to the veterinarian the day after, the poster and his wife learned that the kitty is a male, estimated to be around six weeks old, weighing a healthy 1.5 pounds.
In a follow up video, the poster revealed that the family has officially named the kitted Jaxson, in memory of their recently passed fur-baby.
It is estimated that there are currently between 60 and 100 million stray and feral cats across America, and most of them live their life in the streets without ever even making it to an animal shelter.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the number of cats that entered U.S. shelters last year amounted to just short of 3 millions. While 2.2 millions were adopted, others didn't get as lucky.
In 2024, about 273,000 shelter cats were euthanized, and 369,000 were transferred to other organizations.
Some states see more animals dropped off by their owners or found as strays than others. Statista says that western states have much higher rates, with New Mexico topping the list with over 3,200 animals surrendered per 100,000 inhabitants.
A stock image shows a wet, dishevelled kitten in the middle of the street.
A stock image shows a wet, dishevelled kitten in the middle of the street.
getty images
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 5.6 million views and 1.2 million likes on the platform.
One user, Donna Ahrlett, commented: "That poor baby had given up."
Connieleeinred said: "He just gave up, I can tell the way he just laid in that water, you were his savior and a blessing. Thank you."
Another user, TRAV, wrote: "That would have broken me seeing that baby laying in a puddle."
Rachel added: "I'm bawling, the poor thing."
Newsweek reached out to @mikeysmadlit for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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