McDONALD, Ohio (WKBN) – An injured kitten rescued by first responders in McDonald last week is recovering. One of the state troopers who helped ensure the animal had a chance to survive told us the rescue was “refreshing.”
Trooper Nicholas Tamarkin was among those who helped save the tiny, injured kitten — now named Smokey.
“It’s refreshing, I guess, to be able to save a kitten,” he said.
The rescue stemmed from a chance encounter with a driver who stopped in the middle of the road in McDonald.
“One of our policies is we stop and check if somebody needs assistance, so we stopped and checked,” Tamarkin said.
A woman in the car told troopers about the kitten, saying she thought he had been hit. Tamarkin promised her he’d rescue the little guy.
He told us he could see the kitten had a broken leg, but that didn’t stop the animal from trying to avoid capture by running into the wheel of the cruiser.
McDonald firefighters came to help. One of them crawled under the cruiser and used a glove to get Smokey out.
Smokey is currently recovering at the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project in Warren. He suffered a dislocated hip and broken femur, but is otherwise doing fine.
“We’re not sure how the injury occurred, but I’m just glad somebody took the time to stop and make people aware of the cat’s condition,” said Jason Cooke, with the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project.
One of the firefighters who helped save Smokey is set to take him home on Wednesday.
Trooper Tamarkin says he’s happy he was able to help an innocent animal have a second chance at life.
“I mean, I think anybody would do the same thing. So we just happen to be on roadways more than your normal person,” he said.
