PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A Southeast Texas woman who saved a kitten off of the Veteran's Memorial Bridge said she was happy to be in the right place at the right time.
It happened in November of 2021. Nicole Toney was driving home during her lunchbreak when she saw something as she was going over the bridge.
“I noticed that a bird was hovering really close to the bridge, and I was wondering why it was flying so close,” Toney said. “And then I realized as I got even with the bird and the cat, that it was a cat.”
Upon realizing what the object was, Toney took a U-turn, went back over the Rainbow Bridge, and sprung into action. Despite her fear of heights, she quickly and carefully got to the cat.
“She was sitting right on the ledge, and I was really scared she was going to jump off,” Toney said. “I had to get really close to the edge, because I wanted to put my arm around the backside of her in case she backed up or jumped. And then, I just grabbed her neck, so that I could immobilize her and grab her."
Toney was able to successfully carry the cat to safety. Her bravery added another member to her family.
“We always joke that our house is like a zoo, and that we should qualify for non-profit status because at this point, we have so many animals,” Toney said.
Toney said she and her husband have five dogs and two cats, including the cat she saved from the bridge. The rescue was affectionately named Ducky.
A video of Toney saving Ducky has gotten more than 33,000 views on Facebook. Toney later shared the video on TikTok where it took off.
“No, it's at like 10.5 million views and like 2 million likes. It's crazy," Toney said.
Toney hopes that people, when viewing the video, will think about what they would do if faced with a similar situation.
“My hope is that when people see the video, that they know they can do something to help animals because rescues really are the most pure,” Toney said. “I mean animals are so pure. We don't deserve them.”
Toney and her husband had a cat named Mabel who ran away a few years ago. The couple said that Ducky looks just like her.
They believe Ducky was meant to be with them, and that Toney was in the right place and the right time.
