“I volunteer in animal rescue, so I know the sounds of a baby in distress.”
Earlier this week, Kesaruh Hurasek woke up at her St. Louis home shortly after 4 a.m. and let her dogs outside. But when she called them back in, she suddenly heard a sound that made her stop in her tracks.
As her dogs ran past her, Hurasek heard the desperate cries of a kitten somewhere nearby. Since she volunteers in animal rescue, she immediately recognized the sound as a young animal in serious distress.
The cries faded before she could figure out exactly where they were coming from, so Hurasek grabbed a flashlight and began searching the area. After about half an hour with no luck, she called her boyfriend, Dave, to help.
Together, they walked toward a fence near the highway. That was when they spotted something troubling — a small box sitting in the median of the busy road. Moments later, another frightened meow came from inside it.
Hurasek instantly knew the kitten was trapped in the box.
Without wasting time, Dave climbed over the fence and made his way toward the roadway, risking his own safety to reach the tiny animal.
Hurasek’s instincts had been right. Inside the box was a small black kitten, terrified and alone. The rescuers believe she had been deliberately abandoned and possibly thrown from a vehicle while still inside the box.
At first, the kitten was extremely scared. But once she was safely in their arms, her nightmare finally began to end.
Hurasek and Dave brought her home, gave her food and gently cleaned her up. The kitten, later named Shadow, was starving but quickly began to relax once she realized she was safe.
Shadow was later found to have an upper respiratory infection and a small wound above her eye, likely caused when the box hit the ground. Despite everything she had been through, she had survived.
Hurasek is now working with Full Circle MO Feral to make sure Shadow receives the medical care and medication she needs. Once she is healthy and spayed, she will be ready for adoption.
For now, Shadow is recovering in a safe place, surrounded by people who care about her. What started as a faint cry in the dark became the beginning of a much brighter life.