It’s hard to believe that anyone spotted the tiny orange kitten at all.
During the busy morning commute from North White Plains, New York to Grand Central Terminal in New York City, an engineer on the Metro-North Harlem Line spotted an orange and white kitten so small, it could have fit into the palm of a hand. The animal lover quickly called dispatch for help.
Kristine Malone called Long Island Cat Kitten Solution for help, and the rescue group’s vice president, John DeBacker, personally responded to the emergency. Once he arrived at the Fordham station, John was unable to find an employee who could help him stop the trains so that he could safely access the tracks to trap the kitten.
The animal rescue worker wound up flagging down some cops from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), who agreed to cut the power to the third rail and temporarily halt train service.
The MTA officers helped John track down the mewling kitten and safely get it out of harm’s way. Local commuters had to wait about 10 minutes for this delicate operation to conclude.
The 3-pound kitten was taken to Last Hope Inc. Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation. Once he was given the all-clear, he was adopted by none other than Kristine, the woman who first called for help!
John and his organization were grateful to the MTA for taking the situation seriously and stopping the trains so they could help this animal in need. He says he’d never before rescued an animal from train tracks, but there’s a first time for everything!
“We commend the vigilance of the engineer for spotting the small kitten near the tracks and the collaborative effort between MTAPD officers and all Metro-North employees involved, both on scene and behind, to rescue the kitten,” MTA spokesperson Joana Flores said in a statement.
Well done, everyone! It’s great to see people take the safety and wellbeing of a tiny animal so seriously. We’re sure everyone on the trains were glad to know those 10 minutes were spent so wisely.
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