Rob Acuña Jr. was driving back home after a long and tiring day at work and at one point he though he noticed two tiny eyes looking at him.
As he was really exhausted, he believed he only imagined it so he continued driving. But he felt he wasn’t at easy and decided to get back there just to make sure it wasn’t an animal stuck on the busy road. For if it was, it certainly needed someone to step in and help.
“I noticed a little bump on the freeway wall that just happened to look like a little face as I drove by,” Acuña told The Dodo. “I honestly thought I was seeing things since it had been a long day and was so tired.”
This time, he was driving carefully because he didn’t want to miss those tiny eyes he believed gazed at him before.
That’s when he spotted a fur ball stuck between two slabs of concrete lining on the freeway. It was a little kitten that was obviously frightened and confused. He believed it was abandoned and rushed to take it in his hands.
Acuña grabbed it just on time, before it jumped off the overpass.
He put the rescue on tape. You can look at it below.
“I knew I only had seconds to react,” he said. “The entire time I was in complete disbelief! If I had not caught it on camera, I would not believe that it even happened!”
“I am just in shock right now!” he posted on Facebook. “SO happy he/she did not jump over the ledge (about 20ft-30ft drop) !”
Acuña took the sweet animal home and his family was more than happy to foster it and take care of it until it was adopted through Southern Comfort Animal Rescue. They learned the kitty was a female and named her Pepper.
This wasn’t the first time for Acuña to rescue an animal from certain death. He once saved the life of a dog that was hit by a car, and his family had fostered other animals before.
Pepper turned to be a vibrant kitty that was happy to be spending her time with people who loved her.
“She is doing fantastic!” Acuña Jr. said. “After a few days of being able to decompress and relax, she is starting to come out of her shell and really show the world how feisty and precious she is. It is so hard to believe she was ever in that situation to begin with.”
After the vet’s visit, it was determined that Pepper was a healthy 10-weeks-old kitten.
Once the video of the rescue vent viral, a great number of people contacted Acuña wanting to adopt the sweet creature.
“We absolutely love Pepper and know that if we do not keep her, we will find her the best home possible through a rescue,” he said. “What we really want others to know (since I have received thousands of messages asking if someone can adopt her) is that there are so many more strays in need! Just because they do not have a dramatic video to go along with them, does not mean they do not deserve the same love and attention.”
Thanks to Acuña, Pepper got a new chance for a better life and she’s thriving.