Woman Rescues a Stray Kitten Stuck in a Tree and It Decides To Move In

It’s not often that you actually run into a cat stuck in a tree. But one day when she was heading out to walk her dog, Ashley Pennington found herself in that exact scenario. When she first left the house, she heard a few tiny meows but couldn’t locate the sounds. And when she got back from the walk a few minutes later, the puzzled woman heard the animal mewling even louder than before. “I was a little concerned that a cat was in the crawl space, so I went back outside and eventually found a kitten hanging out in a tree,” Pennington explains.

Once she located the tiny stray kitten, Pennington was determined to help him down to safety. Deciding to rescue the little guy herself, she went and grabbed a ladder to retrieve him from the tree’s branches. And once the animal was safely on the ground, Pennington thought her job was done. However, the adventurous orange tabby she’d saved had other ideas.

Instead of heading off on his merry way, the adorable fur ball began rubbing up against Pennington’s ankles, refusing to stray away for even a second. And once the cat saw her friendly dog Otis hanging out in their yard, the feline figured he was in good company. So, he made a mad dash through the family’s front door, which his rescuer had unwittingly left ajar. Once inside, the energetic kitten ran haphazardly around the kitchen and living room as if he owned the place, evading Pennington’s stunned efforts to catch him.

Eventually, the little ball of energy tired himself out before deciding to settle in on Pennington’s lap, kneading the spot with his paws to get extra comfy. It seemed that the audacious stray kitten had already made up his mind to move in—whether the humans liked it or not. But no matter how cute the cat was, Pennington was sure her husband wouldn’t be thrilled to add another pet to the family. Her spouse had been asleep throughout the whole predicament. So while he was still snoozing, she checked Facebook and canvased the neighborhood to see if the boisterous tabby had any owners who were missing him. But her search was to no avail.

“My husband finally woke up and I said, ‘so we have a problem.’,” Pennington explains. “I took him to the garage where the kitten was, and [the kitten] just walked right in like he owned the place.” Her instincts about her husband’s reaction weren’t wrong; in fact, he immediately suggested that they call the shelter to take the furry gatecrasher. But despite his apprehensions, the man quickly warmed up to the tenacious cat.

“About 20 minutes went by and my husband was outside playing with the kitty,” Pennington recalls. “'I'm going to call you Kevin,' he said.” And from that point, the rest is history. The couple still made sure to call the local shelter to assure that there weren’t any worried owners looking for Kevin. And when no one came forward to claim him, the rambunctious tabby became an official member of the Pennington family.

The former stray kitten quickly adapted to his new role as a pampered pet, turning into an accomplished cardboard box connoisseur and also asserting himself as an outstanding cuddling companion. Kevin even made fast friends with his new furry sibling, Otis. ”He and our dog Otis absolutely love each other and we're so happy to have him around,” Pennington shares. “Even when he's loaded up with energy, destroying curtains and doing parkour.”

One thing’s for sure: Pennington never could have guessed that rescuing a helpless kitten would lead the creature to adopt her and change her family’s life forever. But it seems that getting stuck in that tree may be one of the best things to ever happen to Kevin, because it led him to his forever home.

A woman rescued a cat she found stuck in a tree in her front yard, and the grateful kitten decided to adopt her family and move in.

@ashdelynnpen my husband wasn't too happy when I woke him up to tell him I saved a cat and it wouldn't leave now… 😂 #kittentok #kevin #cattok ♬ Spongebob Tomfoolery – Dante9k Remix – David Snell