The life of an animal rescuer is filled with challenges, long hours, and unpredictable situations. Each day brings new calls for help, and every one of them demands quick thinking and compassion.
For many rescuers, the work goes far beyond a profession. It is a mission fueled by love. The reward of seeing a frightened animal finally safe makes every struggle worthwhile.
Peggy Harrell, co-founder and shelter director of the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) of Mississippi, knows that feeling all too well. One rainy day, her dedication was put to the test when an urgent call came in about a tiny life in desperate need of help.
A Tiny Cry For Help
A concerned caller reported hearing faint cries coming from a marshy area near a stormwater pond at an apartment complex in Byram, Mississippi.
Harrell and her team soon discovered the heartbreaking scene. A kitten was trapped on a floating patch of grass and vines, surrounded by murky water and rushing currents.
“The kitten was [on] a bog of growing grasses and vines. The bog was floating, and the kitten had found a woven maze of roots that was in the middle part of the floating bog,” explained Pippa Jackson, ARF’s other co-founder, in an interview with The Dodo.
The rescuers quickly realized how fragile the situation was. The kitten’s small size was likely the only reason the vegetation hadn’t collapsed beneath her.
Volunteer Kelly Collins was first on the scene. But reaching the kitten safely proved far more difficult than expected.
“Kelly was… very unsure about getting into the bog and falling through, and was scared she would send the kitten running and then the kitten would drown,” Jackson said.
A Race Against Time
Collins returned to the shelter to regroup and gather help. The team knew the kitten would not survive the night if left alone.
“We knew the kitten had little chance of survival overnight, between the water flushing through the storm drain, snakes and [the kitten] getting weak and cold and just succumbing to the elements,” Jackson wrote on Facebook.
To increase their chances of success, Jackson organized a rescue crew that included inmates from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility who often volunteer with ARF.
“She started SCREAMING to us, ‘HELP ME!’ We began trying to find her, trying to figure out how to get to her without getting waist deep in the cold water and figure out where exactly she was,” Jackson shared.
Several volunteers waded into the muddy pond, calling softly to the terrified kitten as she cried for help.
“If you have never been to an apartment complex, in the rain, with 14 inmates in stripes, wading around in a pond, you just ain’t living right. We had quite an audience across the street trying to figure out what this posse was doing, slip sliding around the pond, in the weeds and calling out in kitten speak,” Jackson joked.
After several tense minutes, one rescuer managed to catch the kitten as she darted across the vines and roots. Finally, she was safe.
Marsha’s New Beginning
The kitten, now named Marsha, was brought to the shelter for a warm bath and a full checkup. She was found to be in good health and soon began showing her affectionate side.
“Marsha is quite affectionate, loves to snuggle and being held. She is also partial to hamburgers!” Jackson said.
Within weeks, Marsha blossomed into a happy, confident kitten who charmed everyone she met.
“She’s something special. She’s sassy but incredibly sweet, loves snuggles, and followed me around all day in the cat room, curious about what all I was doing. Oh, and she’s GORGEOUS!” Jackson wrote.
Thanks to the teamwork, creativity, and compassion of her rescuers, Marsha’s life took a beautiful turn. What began as a desperate cry for help in a flooded marsh became the start of her journey toward a safe and loving forever home.