Police Officer Hailed A ‘Hero’ After Rescuing & Adopting A Kitten Thrown Out Of A Vehicle

Aug 09, 2023 by apost team

In life, you can never be sure of the people who surround you, especially strangers, as there are some good and bad people. In this type of situation, it’s harder for animals to speak out as they don’t have the physical abilities to talk to humans.

Fortunately, a police officer with a kind heart rescued a small little kitten that was thrown out of a vehicle, and he planned to adopt the animal to spend his time with her forever.

According to a report published by Good Morning America in August 2023, a police officer named Timothy Rugg of the Harrisonburg Police Department was called to rescue the weeks-old kitten in July 2023.

He immediately responded to the scene wherein the baby cat, named Penny-Furthing, was reportedly thrown out of the window on Old Furnace Road.

The kitten found peace and safety upon being rescued by Rugg as he told the outlet that she climbed right up his shoulder and started purring.

He later took the unfortunate kitten to the Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), but the facility was at full capacity and couldn’t take her in. However, they were able to give her a check-up and told the officer that the baby cat was doing alright except for the pink eye, which was later treated.

Rugg told the outlet that he asked the facility if he could take the 3-month-old kitten home, and they allowed him to do so, but he had to follow a “foster process.”

Following this, he took the cat home to his family, and coincidentally, it was his wife’s birthday at the time, and he noted that it was “an interesting surprise for her.”

“I just felt like she wanted to be with me, and before that, I never saw myself owning a cat. I thought I was a dog person, but we just kind of bonded immediately, and I just knew I had to take her with me,” the officer said.

The cat’s name Penny-Furthing was a play on the words penny farthing and “fur thing.” They initially named her Charlie, but they settled with the given name.

At first, Penny was very timid and shy, but she turned into a “wild” and “rambunctious” cat weeks into foster care. Regarding her favorite activities, Rugg said she loves to play with water and mess with houseplants.

Finally, after three weeks of staying at his home, the kitten was finally adopted by Rugg and his wife. The RHSPCA commended Rugg in an Instagram post shared in July 2023.

They wrote, “Officer Rugg brought this little cutie into the shelter as a stray this week. She was perched on his shoulder from the moment they walked in the door, but from the moment they met, she had already found her way into his heart.”

Rugg was hailed as a hero by online users as one wrote, “Awwwww A true hero! ❤️🐱”

“Angels & Heroes it never gets old, Thank-you❣️ Licks & Paws Forever🐶🥰🐾” another one wrote.

Huck Nawaz, the director of RHSPCA, commended Rugg in a statement to Good Morning America.

“We're very grateful for the support of our community members like Ofc. Rugg who open their hearts and homes for our animals in need,” he said.

The Harrisonburg Police Department also shared a heartwarming post for Rugg and the baby kitten, which amassed hundreds of positive comments from online users.

“Oh I love this!!! Wonderful human being you are Officer Rugg. God Bless,” one wrote.

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What do you think of this heartwarming story about the police officer who rescued and adopted a baby kitten? Would you do the same thing? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.