A kitten brutally tossed from a vehicle has found a loving home with the caring police officer who rescued her in Virginia.
The Harrisonburg Police Department received a call from a passerby who reportedly witnessed the act of cruelty, retrieved the tiny kitten and gave her a bath, but could not keep her or transport her to a shelter.
Officer Timothy Rugg volunteered to respond to the call and found the kitten hiding under a couch. When he bent down to pull her out, the kitten crawled onto his shoulder and started purring.
The kitten continued to perch and purr on the ride to the Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA and clearly did not want to leave Rugg, according to a post from the police department.
“At the shelter, the kitten made a spirited attempt to stay velcroed to Officer Rugg’s shoulder,” the police department said.
Rugg learned that the shelter was near capacity. Rather than fill out an intake form, he filled out an application to foster and took the kitten home.
(Courtesy of Harrisonburg Police Department)
Although Rugg had never seen himself adopting a cat, he and his wife quickly fell in love with the kitten, whom they first called Charlie but now have named Penny Furthing.
The couple is set to adopt Penny at the end of the 3-week foster period.
“She’s great,” Rugg told news. “She’s definitely making my days better.”
The SPCA wrote on social media that from the moment the kitten met Rugg, “she had already found her way into his heart.” Executive Director Huck Nawaz added to Good Morning America that the shelter was thrilled with the couple.
“This is one case of a ‘failed foster’ that we couldn’t be happier about,” he said. “We’ve very grateful for the support of our community members like Officer Rugg, who open their hearts and homes for our animals in need.”
(Courtesy of Harrisonburg Police Department)
This story is an excellent reminder of the importance of adoption! Rugg encouraged everyone interested in adopting a shelter cat to apply to be a foster.
“The beauty of the foster process is you can learn to see if you are capable or really want to do it, rather than just purchasing an animal somewhere else and then not being sure later if it was the right choice.”
