An employee heard kittens' cries coming from one of their trucks and discovered a litter inside, out of reach.
Cameron (CJ) Russell, an employee from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) in Maryland, arrived at a job site yesterday. When he opened the access area on the truck where the ladder is stored, a cat jumped right out, carrying a kitten in her mouth and made a dash across six lanes of traffic.
"CJ watched the cat. As she crossed all the lanes, she turned and looked back at him. He thought, perhaps, she was trying to tell him something," WSSC told Love Meow.
He didn't see the mom return that day, and just when he thought there was only one kitten, he was surprised by what he was about to discover.
When he returned to home base, he heard meowing coming from inside the truck. Upon investigation, he realized there were more kittens tucked deep inside the ladder storage area, but they were out of reach.
Cameron immediately searched for help online and found Alley Cat Rescue in the area. "I'm an animal lover, and I didn't want anything to happen to those kittens on my watch," Cameron told Love Meow.
Once rescuers arrived, they tried to get to the kittens but the space was about 10-12 foot deep and there was a lot of debris inside.
"We called the Bladensburg Fire Department, and they sent a team out to assist us," Denise Hilton of Alley Cat Rescue told Love Meow.
It took about half an hour for the crew to safely remove the kittens with a long pole. The environment inside the truck was no safe place to raise kittens and would likely put them at risk.
Firefighters helped clean the kittens and keep them warm with a towel while Alley Cat rescuers bottle fed the babies on the spot to prevent dehydration.
"The support from the Fire Department and Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission was fantastic," Denise said.
Knowing that the cat mom is still in the area with a kitten, Alley Cat Rescue is working on finding them and reuniting them with the rest of the litter.
"They are giving us access to the property to try to get them. The cat mom took one kitten and ran off with it, and has not been back. We will keep trapping and trying to find them."
The rescued kittens were taken to a veterinary hospital for emergency care. They had a check-up and the one with an injured paw had his foot cleaned up.
While the kittens are on the mend, they will soon need round-the-clock care from a foster volunteer to ensure that they continue to thrive.
"By sterilizing the cats who live outside, you significantly reduce the number of kittens born to an unknown fate."
As kitten season is in full swing, Alley Cat Rescue is constantly looking for foster volunteers based in Maryland.
"We need a bottle baby foster in two weeks to take them over. We also need two fosters for mama cats with kittens," Denise said.
Together, they were able to save the kittens before it was too late. Now, the little ones will grow up in a safe environment and have a chance at a forever home.
"I felt like I did my good deed for the day," Cameron said. "Who knows, maybe I saved a kitten that will become a kid's best friend and that makes me feel great."
Share this story with your friends. If you would like to become a foster volunteer for Alley Cat Rescue, you can contact them via Facebook or Instagram.
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