A bit of luck and some good lungs may be the only things that kept a litter of kittens from a sudden and violent death recently. A man named John Debacker posted about a recent rescue operation that involved saving some kittens from an industrial leaf shredder.
The rescue worker was alerted to the emergency after being contacted by someone who worked on site. “Workers at a maintenance yard heard screams coming from inside a shredder that would have completely obliterated them if the machine was turned on, but thankfully their quick thinking saved them,” Debacker captioned a video of the rescue.
Based on the position of the kittens when Debacker took the machine apart, it’s likely they would’ve died nearly instantly. Fortunately, the rescuer managed to snag the kittens, whom he called “newborn” in the video.
Now, Debacker is looking for the mom to not only keep her from getting injured by heavy machinery, but also to ensure she can be reunited with her babies.
Debacker Works With an Animal Rescue Group
According to the content creator’s profile, he works with Long Island Cat/Kitten Solution Inc, which means he’s likely used to running out to save animals in unusual situations.
But one has to imagine that this particular setup was a first, since the kittens were trapped inside a machine that could’ve proved fatal if they hadn’t been saved.
Fortunately, this rescue had a happy ending.
Some Thought the Story Sounded Shady
The story was picked up by other outlets, according to Debacker, who shared a report from ABC13 Houston that seemed to raise suspicions, especially since the kittens were snuggled up with a blanket when they were found.
“This rescue may seem confusing, but workers first heard the screams inside the machine and began to dismantle it to locate the source of the noise,” he explained to his worried followers. “Upon finding the kittens, they placed a towel in the machine and put it back together while they waited for my arrival.”
In fact, some of Debacker’s commenters on the original video of the rescue raised this question, prompting others to explain that you could hear a man in the background saying he had added the towel to keep the kittens comfortable.
Commenters Felt Bad for the Mama Cat
With all three kittens safely accounted for, commenters began to share their thoughts about the rescue. “Poor mama thought that’d be a safe place,” one person wrote.
“Mama will be devastated,” another worried commenter wrote, prompting some backstory from Debacker’s loyal followers.
“He always gets the momma cat, he never leaves any behind,” one person wrote in part.
“John never gives up on mom! He will find her, too,” another added.
The Kittens Are Now With a Foster Mom
An update to this story was published on The Dodo, where Debacker shared that he was unable to find the mama cat. Instead, he took the kittens to a foster in Suffolk County, where they will reportedly be bottle-fed until they are ready to be adopted out.
It sounds like they are all doing well despite their crazy rescue, so hopefully it won’t be too much longer until they’re ready to go to their new forever homes.