A man saved a tiny kitten from drowning in a sewer while others decided to walk away. He rushed the kitten to get help and it turned her life around.
Meet Gizzy the kitty.
The tiny kitten was just four weeks old when she was found on the Island of Curacao. Passerby heard meowing from the distressed kitten but no one stepped up to help.
"Gizzy was desperately fighting to get out. She was smaller than a roll of toilet paper," Mariette Hanssen of Cats of Curacao told Love Meow.
A kind-hearted man, Carlo Gef, stopped at the scene and quickly got out of his car to see what was happening. To his surprise, he saw the hopeless little kitten struggling for dear life.
Without hesitation, he went in and grabbed the kitten. The tabby was soaking wet and he could feel the bones in that tiny body. Carlo knew that she needed help, and he had a person in mind that would be able to get her the care she desperately needed.
Mariette received a phone call from Carlo and immediately she found someone to pick up the kitten. "She was tiny and was soaking wet with one bad eye," Mariette told Love Meow.
At the time Mariette had just taken in a mama cat and her one surviving kitten, so she introduced Gizzy to them. Right away the cat mom took to the scrawny little kitten and started nursing her as her own. Her own kitten Bella was happy to have a new sister. The two instantly bonded.
Gizzy was so tiny that she was just the size of a palm.
According to Mariette, abandoned animals are often found on the island due to lack of education and awareness on spaying and neutering. "I keep talking to people, educating them, trying to get them to get their animals treated, but it hasn't been part of their culture, to see animals as 'pets'," Mariette told Love Meow.
Gizzy is one of the lucky ones that have been given a second chance at life.
Mariette works tirelessly to help and fight for animals on the island to get a chance at a better life. Because of her unwavering devotion to animal rescue, things are slowly changing.
"More and more locals are starting to treat their cats and dogs better, but it's going to take generations to really see the change I want to see," Mariette said. "In the meantime, raising awareness, educating people on spaying and neutering, helping out with cat food, and lending out traps for TNR is all I can do."
A few months after the rescue, Gizzy has grown by leaps and bounds.
The tabby girl is now the same size as mama (in the background) and her personality has really shone through.
The two sisters share a special bond.
"She and Bella grew up together like sisters from another mama," Mariette told Love Meow.
"She had a tiny hole in her right eye that completely healed, with ointment. And now she has grown into a gorgeous lady. She has become a great personality."
Gizzy has blossomed along with the other kitties rescued by Cats of Curacao. The sweet tabby girl and her feline family can't wait to find their forever loving homes.
Cats of Curacao's supplies are constantly in shortage. If you would like to support their rescue/TNR efforts, click here to make a donation.
Playful and mischievous little girl :).
Share this story with your friends. Follow Cats of Curacao on Facebook and Twitter.
Related story: Deputy Saves Drowning Kitten Clinging to Oysters Under Bridge