Three little kittens are getting a new lease on life thanks to the caring act of a quick-thinking Alberta man.
Kendall Diwisch shared a Facebook post last Monday showing the tiny cats in a dire situation. The three felines, likely only a few months old, were found “frozen” in the snow with no food, water or anything to keep them warm in sub-zero conditions.
“I found these three fellows on one of the back roads near one of my wells,” Diwisch wrote on Facebook. “Poor things were frozen into the ice so they had to have been there all night.”
In a Facebook video viewed more than 500,000 times, the man wearing work clothes approaches the desperate animals and notices two of them are stuck on the ice.
With their lives at risk, Diwisch is forced to act quickly.
He leaves the crying critters momentarily to shut off his vehicle and returns with some coffee that he pours on the snow to help free the cats from the ice. With a bit of force, he successfully pulls both of the trapped cats from an icy spot in the ground, where they were presumably abandoned.
Diwisch, who lives in Drayton Valley, Alta., says he took the kittens home to give them some food and water, but added they would need to find a new family.
“They look to be healthy and friendly,” he said, adding all three were believed to be males.
On Sunday, there was an update on the kittens from Cause for Critters, an animal shelter in Drayton Valley, approximately 145 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.
The shelter says the three cats had been adopted by a single family, ensuring they would stay together after the ordeal.
“We are happy to say that they are happily in their new home,” Cause for Critters wrote on Facebook. “Thank you to Kendall for rescuing them and to the Trider family for taking them in.”
The shelter posted a photo of the kittens being held by three women and they all looked to be as cute and cuddly as ever.
“We are so happy that their story will have an amazing end.”
Diwisch sounded happy to hear the kittens were doing well.
“All three little rascals went to their new home today where they get to be together instead of separating them,” he wrote in an update on Facebook.
“All three are eating and drinking and very energetic. Thanks for everyone’s consideration and offering to take them very appreciated.”
In less than a week, there were more than 2,000 responses to the original Facebook post, most of them praising Diwisch for saving the kittens.
“Thank you for your kindness,” one Facebook user wrote. “A modern day hero,” another chimed in. “You are a superhero,” a commenter added.
It’s a good thing cats have nine lives.
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