“She started SCREAMING to us, ‘HELP ME!’”
In July, on a rainy day in Byram, Mississippi, Peggy Harrell, cofounder and shelter director of the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) of Mississippi, received a call about a stranded kitten.
The tiny kitten had found herself stuck in the marshy land above a stormwater pond at an apartment complex. She was trapped on a floating bog made of vines and grasses, wedged in the middle of a maze of roots. Her small size—less than a pound—was the only thing keeping her from falling through the muddy ground and into the water below.
ARF volunteer Kelly Collins rushed to the scene, but the rescue was more complicated than anticipated. The bog was precarious, and Collins was unsure about entering, afraid she might cause the kitten to panic and fall into the water, risking drowning.
After some time, Collins had to leave, but the shelter staff refused to give up. They knew that without immediate help, the kitten would likely perish overnight due to exposure, water, and predators. Pippa Jackson, the other cofounder of ARF, gathered a group of shelter workers—who happened to be inmates from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility—to continue the search.
As the group waded through the pond, calling out to the kitten, something amazing happened. Jackson recalled, “She started SCREAMING to us, ‘HELP ME!’” With this new lead, they carefully navigated the marshy terrain, determined not to give up.
Then, one of the employees spotted the kitten scurrying across the vines and, with quick thinking, managed to grab her. The kitten, later named Marsha, was finally safe.
Marsha was given the veterinary care she needed and a much-needed bath. “She is quite affectionate, loves to snuggle and being held,” Jackson said. “She is also partial to hamburgers!”
Months later, Marsha has grown into a stunning, loving cat. Though she’s still waiting for her forever home, she’s a special, sassy yet sweet cat who loves to follow people around and snuggle.
“She’s GORGEOUS!” Jackson wrote. “She’s something special.” Hopefully, Marsha’s forever family will find her soon, and she won’t have to wait much longer to begin her next chapter.