SAGINAW, Mich. — What started as a routine late-night call turned into a life-changing moment for firefighter Brandon Mulvaney and a tiny stray kitten.
In August, Mulvaney, a member of Michigan’s Saginaw Fire Department, was dispatched at 1 a.m. after reports of an animal trapped in a storm drain. Upon arrival, he and his team—along with officers from Saginaw County Animal Care & Control (SCACC)—discovered a frightened kitten lodged deep underground.
Determined to free the animal, Mulvaney climbed seven feet down a maintenance hole and crawled through a narrow pipe before spotting the kitten.
“After a few minutes of calling to him, he peeked out, and I grabbed him,” Mulvaney told PEOPLE. “Right then, I knew I wanted to keep him—he came straight to me.”
From Rescue to Forever Home
After safely bringing the kitten to the surface, Mulvaney wrapped him in a towel, snapped a quick photo to commemorate the rescue, and handed him over to SCACC for care. But he couldn’t shake the connection he felt.
Checking in weekly for updates, Mulvaney learned the kitten—just a few weeks old at the time—was a stray in need of a home.
“I decided to adopt him because he deserved better than life on the streets,” Mulvaney said, citing their “special bond.”
After two and a half months of paperwork, Mulvaney, his wife, and their four children officially welcomed the kitten—now named Huntley—into their family in October. The name pays homage to the road near where he was rescued.
A Happy Ending with Help from the Community
The adoption was made possible through the BISSELL Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelters program, which covers adoption fees. Huntley is among more than 61,000 pets placed in homes through the initiative.
Now thriving, the spirited kitten has seamlessly adapted to life with the Mulvaneys—playing with their dog and charming the kids.
“He’s a spitfire, but also a total love bug,” Mulvaney said.
For this firefighter, what began as a rescue mission became the start of a lifelong friendship.
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