Gritty Kitten Rescued From Floodwaters

At first glance, the disheveled orphan kitten looked helpless.

Just five weeks old, with a rumpled mohawk of orange fur, he seemed no match for a thunderstorm.

But when the floodwaters came and his mother vanished, he found solid ground deep inside. Drawing on some secret feline bravery, the kitten gripped hold of a tree branch with all his might. Ferociously determined to live, he would not let go.

As the radar raged with angry waves of yellow and red, a good Samaritan glimpsed the tuft of orange in the tree. The kitten clung to his branch, hissing, shouting, and protesting his own rescue.

But for all his stubbornness, love was stronger still.

The next thing he knew, the half-drowned kitten was on his way to Tabby’s Place. He faced the fight of his life, shivering with infection and hypothermia. But he had come to a land of weatherproof love, where “hopeless” cats find life after their storms.

When it seems like a cat is past the point of saving, Tabby’s Place takes hold of hope and will not let go. That ferocious love – combined with world-class medical care – has saved over 5,000 “impossible” cats and kittens over 23 years.

Still, this fearless survivor is in a class of his own. No wonder Tabby’s Place named him Gritito.

Spanish for “tiny shout,” the name is also a nod to a neighboring mascot, the Philadelphia Flyers®’ mop-haired Gritty®. Like his namesake, the grittiest kitten is wildly alive, unsinkable with courage, and the color of the sun itself.

Gritito is still recovering from his ordeal in the care of highly skilled staff. Donations to Tabby’s Place will help to nurture him, and all of the “hopeless” cats and kittens yet to come this summer.

Supporters can give online at www.tabbysplace.org, or by mailing a check made out to “Tabby’s Place” to Tabby’s Place, 1100 US Highway 202, Ringoes, NJ, 08551. Tabby’s Place is a registered 501(c)3 public charity with over 23 years of experience saving cats from desperate circumstances.

As a Tabby’s Place cat, there’s no storm Gritito cannot weather. That’s the faithful forecast when love will not let you go.

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Philadelphia Flyers® and Gritty® are registered trademarks of Philadelphia Flyers. Tabby’s Place is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Philadelphia Flyers or the NHL.

About Tabby’s Place

Tabby’s Place is a world-class, cage-free sanctuary for cats from hopeless situations. The sanctuary embraces the most vulnerable cats regardless of age, medical issues, or temperament, serving as a harbor of hope for the littlest, the last, and the lost -- especially those with advanced medical needs.

Since 2003, Tabby’s Place has rescued nearly 5,000 cats, from rural New Jersey to Beirut and beyond. Most of these beloved cats go on to be adopted, while the rest find a devoted home for life at the sanctuary.

Learn more at www.tabbysplace.org or call 908-237-5300.