This Death Metal Drummer Rescued A Kitten From Hurricane Irma

Written by: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| Published on September 21, 2017

Metal musicians may be tough on the outside, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have huge hearts on the inside!

Donald Tardy, drummer for Obituary and Florida resident, noticed a kitten outside his neighbor’s house just before Hurricane Irma struck. He offered to help trap her to bring her in for safety, but the neighbors refused. Tardy recalled in a story by REVOLVER Magazine:

“Since they didn’t care about this poor, little eight-week-old baby, I spent two hours with my traps set, waiting for it to come out from under their fence.”

With no luck, the drummer headed back to his house to finish preparing for the storm, “but laying in bed that night, I knew I had to do something for this little kitten,” he said.

Since he couldn’t get the defenseless cat out of his head, he decided to brave the dangerous weather to try to capture her. He explained to REVOLVER:

“I went back in the pouring rain with my net and trap. I snuck up the the front bushes where I thought the kitten would be hiding. I saw it immediately, but it saw me as well, and ran from me. That was when I realized that there was something wrong with the kitten.”

As it turns out, the baby was not only vulnerable for being young and unsheltered, she had special needs! Her back legs weren’t moving properly, and out of fear, she quickly limped away from Tardy.

But the animal loving musician refused to give up, despite the downpour and howling winds. He chased after the kitty, and finally caught her with a net. From there, he put her in a carrier and brought her home where she’d be safe until the storm passed.

Once the hurricane subsided, Tardy took the baby to the emergency vet, where it was determined that she had no feeling in her tail and was partially paralyzed in her back end, most likely the result of trauma from being hit by a car or even a human.

“I surrendered the kitten to the vet so they could assess how bad her injury was, and determine if there was a chance for this little girl,” Tardy said. “The next day, we received good news: The vets had decided to give her a fighting chance and put her through rehab. Sadly, her tail had to be amputated, but she will nonetheless be fixed, vaccinated and entered into an adoption program to find a forever home as a special needs pet.”

We’re so glad that this kind musician decided to rescue this kitten and protect her from Hurricane Irma. Tardy concluded:

“It probably wasn’t my smartest or safest decision I’ve ever made, being outside during a hurricane, but I wasn’t going to ignore the situation, or leave that baby behind.”

(h/t: REVOLVER Magazine)