Kitten found in snowstorm saved by school janitor, after days of intensive care and cuddles kitten goes from barely moving to running strong, joining 5 strong fur family: ‘I really can't believe he lived through the night’

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Feb 27, 2026 4:00 PM EST

If you thought that cats and snowstorms do not mix, you would be totally correct and in this story we find out just what happens when a helpless kitten finds itself stuck in a severe snowstorm, until a kind rescuer comes along to save the day.

It is true, other than the long furred cats of Norway and Maine, there are no felines who are adapted to living out in the cold that snow brings with it. Most cats prefer the moderate to hot temperatures of the mediterranean as exemplified by the abundance of cats inhabiting the islands of Greece.

Which is what makes this kitten rescue all the more interesting as we come upon a kitten who had gotten lost in the snow and was looking to be in bad shape. As one would be after marching for countless hours in a frozen and frigid world. But the universe would not let such a sweet soul meet their maker and enlisted the support of a sweet hooman who set a rescue plan in motion to ensure the kitten's safety and to give it a loving home. The rest of the story we will leave you to discover and enjoy. 
 

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    "His name is Oatmeal."
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    My original post was very short and desperate because I was f g out. My kids mentioned are in their early 20s. One kid works as a custodian at an
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    elementary school. School was cancelled because of the storm and when that happens, she shovels snow all day. So she was shovelling and kept
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    hearing the kitten meow in the cold but when she tried to get him, he kept running away. She put a box out for him as well. Eventually though
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    he just got too cold and weak to run away so she was able to pick him up and bring him inside to try to get him warm. She called me because she still had
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  • Wow, ok that is about one of the craziest ways we have heard about someone coming upon a kitten. You have to wonder how in the heck a kitten found itself out in the snow in the first place. After all, cats are rather well known for their aversion to the frozen ice crystals that make up what we call snow, and a kitten even more so would be unlikely to find itself out in the snow unless it was in desperate need to get somewhere or to find a meal. But whatever the reason it is so darn lucky that this young lady was out there shoveling snow or things could have gone really wrong for this kitten. 

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    to work so I drove and got him. When I got there he was still crying a bit but wasn't moving his limbs at all. I picked him up and
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    used a baby syringe to put a couple drops of water in his mouth and he stopped crying and stopped moving and was barely breathing. I thought
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    he had very little chance but I took him and put him on a heated seat and blasted the heater and drove to the pet store. I really didn't think
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    he would still be alive by the time I got to the pet store. It's a 20 minute drive normally but the roads were very bad due to the snow. I
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    parked at the pet store and checked and saw that he was still breathing so I went in and grabbed some milk and high calorie gel. It was another 15 minutes
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    to get home. Once I got home my other kid had just got home and wanted to make a post but we aren't very good at reddit and didn't
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  • Wowza, we have not the words to describe just how harrowing and stressful it must have been to drive around with this barely breathing kitten in the passenger seat. And on one of the snowiest days of the year no less. Could you imagine trying to be as fast as you can while also praying you do not end up Tokyo drifting your car into a snow bank? It is a unique situation to find yourself in and to contend with when you are trying to save a life. But thankfully this hooman was up for the challenge and was not willing to give up on the sweet kitten.

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    think much about what to say. I am so happy we made a post because we got so much support and good advice.
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    Our area has a shortage of vets and the emergency vet is incredibly expensive and I really thought he wouldn't make it. So I thought we would just be with
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    him while he passed peacefully. We put him on a blanket on top of a heating pad. I kept dripping a bit of milk in his mouth
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    every 30 minutes but it still was not moving and seemed frozen. I decided to turn him over to heat the other side and when
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    I did that he did a little kitty stretch and let out a tiny meow. He still wouldn't lick or swallow. Someone asked
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    what color his gums were and I was able to pull his lips back and then I compared them to one of our cat's gums and they were a little paler but still pink.
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    He seemed to be getting warmer but still was not moving or licking or swallowing. Someone else suggested syrup on his gums so I did
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    that. He immediately opened it's eyes, and opened his mouth for the first time to take a lick. He hungrily accepted a baby syringe of milk and
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    swallowed and kept going but he still wasn't moving his legs. I was reminded of the way a human baby nurses as well.
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    A few sks before a swallow. It was the same with the kitten. I waited a little while and then gave him another syringe of milk and then another. Finally he
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    started moving his legs and loafed up. I put him in a long storage bin with the heating pad and blanket on one side and filled a tray with kitty litter and put a condiment cup of
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    milk on the other side. A half hour later he walked to the milk and drank it all down and went right back to the blanket.
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    We went to sleep but I set alarms to keep waking up and giving him more milk in small quantities every few hours. My daughter woke me up as soon as the vet opened
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    and we called and made an appointment, but it's not until next Wednesday. She also went to the store to buy some kitten food. I went
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    back to sleep and she fed him a bit before leaving the house. When I woke up I checked on him and he was not in the bin. He was hiding out in the closet. I moved the
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    bin into the closet and made some hiding places for him and put a litter box and food and water bowl in different places.
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    He let me pick him up after another meal without trouble and I gave him a bit of a bath because he had gunk dried on his head. He also had a few burrs in his fur. I didn't
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    notice fleas. He is running and strong and doesn't seem to have any injuries or health issues. We are keeping him away from our 5 cats and dog for now.
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    I don't know if we will keep him. We already have 5 cats and one dog. But we will take him to the vet to get shots and at least keep him until he can be neutered. If we don't
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    keep him we will find him a good home. The place he was found was a rural location where barn cats are common. No one has posted
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    looking for him so far in any places | have searched. Some people asked about a name, and our family has a tradition of naming our pets after food
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    items with similar colors. Our first cat was named Snickers and our first dog was named Twix. I really can't believe he lived through the night and am so
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    grateful that I was able to post and ask for support. Update 2: Went to the vet this morning and got dewormer and first
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    series of st. _ ts. He's doing very well. It was like a switch flipped yesterday and he went from being fearful to happy and approaching us all
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    day (and night) for scratches. His name is Oatmeal.
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janitor fur school found care strong kitten reddit story saved cat story cuddles running family moving snowstorm intense
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