Journalists hear meowing from under their car — save a scared kitten during Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton caused widespread devastation in Florida and there are many people still affected, but there are some heartwarming stories in the aftermath that give us all hope.
Like this sweet story of a scared kitten who was found hiding under a car by two journalists, and is now in safe hands.
Two journalists from the Washington DC area, photographer David Barcenas and reporter Christopher Salas, were dispatched to Florida to cover Hurricane Milton. There on the scene, they picked up an unexpected new member of their crew.
While the two were parked outside an evacuation center, someone told them they heard meowing coming from their vehicle. The journalists stopped to investigate, and discovered a kitten, taking shelter from the storm under their car.
We’re a three man crew now. My coworker, David, rescuing a cat who took shelter under our car from Hurricane Milton. I’m glad someone walking by told us they heard meowing. pic.twitter.com/9nRFM4PqPf
— Christopher Salas (@ChristopherS_DC) October 9, 2024
They picked up the cat and brought her into the safety of their vehicle, dried her with a towel and picked her up some tuna to snack on.
“I have two cats back home,” Barcenas told The Washington Post. “I wasn’t about to shoo her away.”
“We’re a three man crew now,” Salas joked on Twitter. The pair named their new kitten friend “Millie,” and she quickly became a favorite online, dubbed #HurricaneCat.
The cat appeared to be health and well-fed, which made them think she might have a home, but a trip to the animal hospital revealed no microchip.
With no information about her background, Millie was taken in by an animal shelter in Lee County. They are waiting to see if anyone claims her — but if no one does, she has a new home already lined up: Barcenas filed an application to adopt Millie if she isn’t claimed, and plans to bring her back to DC with him.
#Hurricanecat update:
— David Barcenas (@brcns_david) October 10, 2024
Millie is an adult female cat we found up near FGCU near Ft.Myers FL. I dropped her off at the Blue Pearl Pet Hospital where they confirmed she does not have a microchip. Docs say she does not seem to be feral and is well mannered meaning she may have… pic.twitter.com/Il8AdwDZMV
It would be a heartwarming ending to the story if Millie got adopted by her rescuer, but she might have a family out there looking for her, so we’ll have to wait and see. We will update this story if there is any further word.
Either way, Barcenas told the Post that he was “happy to have found a new friend on the road.”
Thank you to these two journalists for rescuing sweet Millie! She definitely picked the right car to take shelter under, and we’re glad she is safe!
Please share this story, and be sure to read other uplifting stories about animals rescued from Hurricane Milton:
