“We were standing there doing the math on how much concrete we needed and heard a faint meow.”
A few months ago, Shelby Elko went to Menards, a home improvement store, to buy some concrete. While browsing the outdoor section, she heard something unexpected — a faint meow.
“We were standing there doing the math on how much concrete we needed and heard a faint meow,” Elko shared on TikTok.
The sound was coming from inside a shrink-wrapped stack of lava rocks. Curious and concerned, Elko noticed movement inside the plastic.
“I saw something move, and I was like, ‘We just need to check that,’” she said in a video for The Dodo.
Her husband reached into the stack and tore open the plastic. To their surprise, a tiny kitten tumbled out and landed safely on some bags. Fortunately, the fall wasn’t serious, and the kitten was unharmed.
“I picked him up and held him in my arm. We searched the entire pallet but found no other kittens or a mama cat,” Elko said.
No one knew how the kitten ended up sealed inside the packaging, but Elko was relieved he had survived. Despite everything, the kitten was in decent shape. After consulting her local humane society, she learned he was likely no more than five days old.
Elko took him home, where she bottle-fed him and kept him warm. She temporarily named him Oscar until she could find a name that felt right.
“He’s a chunker, he loves to eat,” she said on TikTok. “He’s so sweet and just so precious.”
The next day, Elko was notified that a mother cat and her kittens had also been found at the same Menards. At first, she thought Oscar might be part of that litter. But when she brought him to the foster home caring for them, it was clear he was much younger and probably unrelated.
Still, the foster family welcomed Oscar so he could grow up around other kittens. According to his foster mom, he’s thriving.
“He is very small, but he’s mighty,” Elko said. “She says he drinks and eats a lot — he’s getting really strong, too.”
Elko plans to bring Oscar home in late July and is eagerly counting down the days.
“I’m so happy he’s alive, healthy, and growing,” she said. “We already love him so much.”