What was supposed to be a relaxing day out on the water for a kayaker quickly turned into a cute rescue mission. Carter Taylor shared his story on TikTok using the handle @ctaylor.atx, explaining how he ended up with a hitchhiker while he was out on the river.
Taylor filmed himself as he paddled toward the sound of a kitten’s cries, eventually coming up on a pile of sticks and debris at the base of a tree along the waterline. That’s where he discovered the source of all of the noise was a tiny black-and-white kitten.
It was clear from the video that the little one was excited to be rescued, since he immediately leapt into Taylor’s kayak looking for help. “Looks like I have been chosen,” Taylor joked on TikTok.
The story then went viral and was covered by national outlets like ABC News and The Dodo due to the super cute ending to Taylor’s story, which involved bringing the cat home to join his family. Now, people can’t stop talking about how the cat distribution system has struck again.
A Fisherman Told Taylor a Cat Was Stuck in the River
@ctaylor.atx Just to clarify: A few minutes before I got on the water, another fisherman mentioned that there was a cat in a tree. With all the highway noise, I misunderstood him and immediately assumed he meant a catfish that had gotten caught on some fishing line that people leave out for catfishing. I kind of downplayed it and said, “Ah, well, I’m not much of a catfish guy, but thanks,” wished him good luck, and went on my way. It wasn’t until later that I realized he was talking about an ACTUAL cat stuck in a tree. That’s why you can hear me say, “That guy was talking about an actual cat,” in the video. God is good! 🙏 FOLLOW FOR MORE / PT 2 #kitten #kayakfishing #kittenrescue #fypシ゚viral #hero ♬ original sound – ctaylor.atx
Taylor posted his video on TikTok on Aug. 31, 2026, documenting the entire rescue. According to the caption that accompanied the video, Taylor had been told that there was a cat in a tree. “With all the highway noise, I misunderstood him and immediately assumed he meant a catfish that had gotten caught on some fishing line that people leave out for catfishing,” Taylor wrote.
“I kind of downplayed it and said, ‘Ah, well, I’m not much of a catfish guy, but thanks,’ wished him good luck, and went on my way,” the post continued. However, Taylor said the reality of the situation dawned on him later, and he hopped in the boat to go looking for the cat.
Taylor Posted an Update About the Rescued Kitten
@ctaylor.atx Replying to @ctaylor.atx Looks like I have been chosen.. #kitten #kittenrescue #kayakfishing #hero #part2 ♬ original sound – ctaylor.atx
A day later, Taylor added an update with the kitten by his side. According to him, he immediately called his girlfriend to have her come and pick up the freezing kitten. After Taylor got home and the kitten was all cleaned up, they introduced him to their dog, Rigley, who was clearly happy to see the family growing.
As such, Taylor said that they were going to keep the kitten, naming him Lucky due to the fortuitous way he came into their lives.
Lucky Has Been Cleared by the Vet
The good news keeps coming, and Taylor said that Lucky was given a thorough checkup as well as a dose of antibiotics. People cheered the new family of four on in the comments, even though many of them weren’t happy with the name choice.
“His name should be River,” one person wrote.
“That’s Banks,” another person added.
Multiple people also added that Taylor may actually be the lucky one, since he clearly just found the perfect kayaking buddy to take on the rest of his adventures.