A little kitten ended up in the dumpster, helplessly awaiting a miracle to happen. A man came to her aid and gave her the saving grace that turned her life around.
Meet Grace, the little miracle.
It was 4AM in the morning, James Ryan of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, was going about his normal day as a residential service driver. But what struck him next was nothing that he'd ever expected.
As he arrived at the transfer station, the loader operator, who knew how big of a cat lover James is, quickly gave him a proposition. Just hours earlier, another driver discovered a tiny kitten in the garbage truck among the orange peels and containers.
The scrawny little black-and-white kitten made a dash behind some shovels. They knew they had to get the little kitten out to safety before any accident might happen.
That's when they acquired help from James, who wasted no time and began his rescue mission. He carefully dug through the tools to locate the whereabouts of the elusive feline. When he finally got her, the kitten let out the loudest scream that James had ever heard.
"I never want to hear out of a kitten for the rest of my life. My heart was breaking," James said.
It didn't take long for James to find out the cause for the scream. The kitten had endured quite a trauma on one of her rear legs.
Next thing they knew, the kitten was on her way with her hero to Tabby's Place, a cage-free sanctuary in Ringoes, New Jersey that provides refuge to cats in hopeless situations.
"Grace was in heartbreakingly awful shape when she arrived. I couldn't even bring myself to take a photograph of her mangled leg. The poor baby was weak and extremely hungry," Angela Townsend, Development of Director of Tabby's Place, told Love Meow.
"She purred ever so faintly as our vet team bathed her. It was painful to watch Grace's bathwater turn brownish-red from both her wound and all the dirt clinging to her tiny body from the dumpster," Townsend said.
They couldn't save her injured leg, but the little furry fighter got a second chance at life.
What a difference a few weeks make!
"Grace almost looks like a different kitten now. She is full of energy, loves to chatter with anyone who will chirp back at her, and is wonderfully playful and mischievous."
Grace gives her rescuer, now foster dad a love attack!
"We are all profoundly moved by James and his family's generosity of spirit in fostering our 'amazing Grace,'" Townsend told Love Meow.
"Everything about this story feels so meant-to-be, and we're just grateful to have played a part in it."
Grace cuddling with her hero, purring away.
Share this story with your friends. If you would like to support their rescue efforts, click here to see how you can help. Follow Tabby's Place and Grace's updates on Facebook.
Related story: Man Saves Kittens Found in His Truck and Goes Back for Their Mama Cat