In November 2021, animal lover Nicole Toney drove across the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in Texas on her lunch break when she saw something unusual. After making a U-turn to investigate further, she discovered an abandoned cat paralyzed with fear on the bridge.
As Nicole recounts the experience in a YouTube video, she remembers approaching the kitten cautiously but quickly. She knew she had to act fast.
She had driven her car close enough to the cat to attempt to rescue it but kept her distance so as not to scare it away or worse.
The Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in Texas stands a whopping 143 feet tall above the river. The good Samaritan recalls feeling like she would puke during the harrowing rescue as she has a fear of heights.
Nerve-wracking rescue
She got out of her vehicle and walked towards the kitten. She proceeded with caution with the windy weather and speeding vehicles in close proximity.
To avoid the kitten getting spooked and falling, she first scooped her arm behind the kitten. She grabbed the kitten by the scruff of the neck to immobilize her.
Then, she brought the cat off the ledge and held her tight to the chest. Her love of animals superseded her fear of heights.
Viral rescue
She brought the rescued cat back to her car and the whole ordeal got recorded on her phone. She posted the experience on TikTok.
To date, the video has received over twenty million views and over four million likes. The rescued kitten received the name Ducky because he was one “lucky duck.”
Home sweet home
Nicole Toney lives at home with her husband and a brood of animals. Together they share their home with five dogs and now two cats.
Nicole felt this experience was fate. A few years ago, one of her former cats Mabel, had run away and never returned.
When Nicole rescued Ducky, she saw a similar resemblance and knew she wanted to keep her forever. Ducky has found a new home with a house full of love and siblings to share the rest of her days.
You can see how Ducky is doing now with adjusting to life at home with her siblings on TikTok.
Lessons learned
A random lunch break turned into a harrowing rescue for one brave woman. Her genuine compassion to rescue an abandoned cat in need quelled her own fears and helped give a precious feline a second chance at a new life.
Her experience is the perfect example of how one’s ability to help others in need has far greater weight than fear. And now, living in a house full of love and protection, Ducky, the bridge cat, is one lucky duck.
What did you think of this extraordinary story? Have you ever faced your fears to rescue an abandoned cat?
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