Todd Sumamno
Kittens are everywhere. They can hide in the bushes, under the foundation of your house, and all-too-often wind up in serious danger. That’s when it’s up to good-hearted people and animal rescue organizations to make a difference. For a Lakeland, Florida kitten, now called Kelsey, her knight in shining armor came in the costume of a police officer.
13. On Patrol
Duty Officer Mike Cardin was just doing his duty on patrol in Lakeland Florida one night when his life was touched by a cute kitten. The job of a police officer is hard, and one never knows what might be lurking in the alley or around the corner. Cardin surely wasn’t expecting a ball of fluff with dangerous claws to be in his future.
12. The Late Shift
Officer Cardin was heading out to his very late overnight shift at the Lakeland Police Department when he got a call. Someone had reported there was a kitten abandoned in a box on the side of the road. The Police Department is used to dealing with canines and they even have a police dog. But a kitten??
11. Fluffy Kitten
When Officer Cardin reached the area of the call, he found a shivering kitten in a box under a lamppost. The tiny kitten was light grey with tiger paws and big ears. He knew he had to help right away.
10. Fit for a Princess
The police officer took the kitten out of the box, wrapped her in a blanket and drove her back to the Police Department. Officer Cardin thought she looked healthy, but he wanted to be sure she was comfortable. He took an old box that had housed files, folded up a blanket, and made her a little house with a bed.
9. The Suspect
Officer Cardin called animal control and settled in for the night. But before animal control could make it to the scene, the kitten had a trick up her sleeve: her adorableness. Her mark: Sgt. Brian Wallace.
8. The Mark
Sgt. Wallace was also on duty that night. He had made sergeant two years earlier and was then assigned to homicide. However, he was no match for what he encountered that night: a one pound fluffy grey kitten. It was love at first sight.
7. Friends
As a Facebook Post later related, Sgt. Wallace didn’t stand a chance. “He didn’t want her to be alone all night, so he scooped her up and kept her with him throughout the shift,” according to the Facebook post. The kitten’s work wasn’t done, however.
6. Inseparable
Sgt. Wallace was so taken with the kitten that he decided he could work with her on his lap. He filled out his police reports while she snoozed, working her feline magic. The two were quickly inseparable.
5. Partners
“She seemed to take to her new role as partner to Sgt. [Brian] Wallace, however, she did fall asleep her first night on the job,” noted the Facebook post. In addition to helping with the paperwork, Wallace took her along on his next run of the night. That’s right: the kitten cadet rode in the patrol car on the next call.
4. Officer-in-Training
Wallace collected the kitten, put her in the cardboard box and placed it on the passenger seat.“I took the box she was originally put in and placed it in the passenger seat of my patrol vehicle, facing me,” Wallace said. “That’s where she stayed for the rest of the night … and didn’t seem to mind, I might add.”
3. Mission Accomplished
Wallace described his experience with the little heartbreaker. “I got to the station just after Cardin had secured her and went to check on her. Here she was, alone and frightened. Since this was not too long after the beginning of the shift, I just couldn’t leave her in that box for about 10 more hours, just to have animal control take her away.”
2. Adopted!
“That little face … I was done,” Wallace said. That sealed it: Wallace had decided to adopt her by the end of the night. “Congratulations to little feline officer Kelsey on her new loving home,” the Lakeland Police Department wrote.
1. Daddy and Daughter
Now one year after that fateful call, Kelsey is a growing and happy adult cat. She cuddles with her dad any chance she gets. He loves to spoil her. It’s a match made in heaven.
Silvia
