Harrisonburg police officer takes in abandoned kitten
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Police officers respond to different types of calls each day, and some of those calls result in bringing home a little four-legged friend... At least that was the case for one Harrisonburg police officer.
A couple of weeks ago, someone reported that a kitten had been thrown from a vehicle on Old Furnace Road in Harrisonburg. The caller had scooped up the cat, brought it home, and bathed it; however, they said they couldn’t keep it or take it to the RHSPCA.
So, Officer Timothy Rugg came by to help get the kitten to the shelter.
“She was hiding under a couch. I reached under and got her, and she immediately crawled onto my shoulder and perched onto it like a parrot and started purring,” Officer Rugg said.
And when he got to the SPCA to drop the kitten off, Officer Rugg said he just couldn’t let her go.
“I just felt like she wanted to be with me, and before that, I never saw myself owning a cat. I thought I was a dog person, but we just kind of bonded immediately, and I just knew I had to take her with me,” he explained.
Since then, Penny has settled in nicely to her new home.
“She was super scared when I got her, but now she’s just super active. I’m having to arrange my entire apartment just to make it safe for curious Penny,” Officer Rugg said.
And while Officer Rugg has helped Penny find a safe and loving home, he noted that she has helped him a lot, too.
“She’s definitely making my days better and helping me relax. She’s great,” Officer Rugg said.
He never expected to gain a new friend like this while out on the job and he said never responded to a call like this before, but he’s glad he did.
“I have to be careful to not go on too many of them otherwise I’ll have a house full of cats,” Officer Rugg laughed.
If you’re looking for a friendship like the one Officer Rugg and Penny have, the RHSPCA has plenty of cats that could use a new home.
As a reminder, the adoption fees for all adult cats are waived for the remainder of the year.
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