Starbucks heroes rescue kittens from a sewer
When cat rescuer Juli Verrier set out to save a feral cat at the Bradlick Shopping Center parking lot, she had no idea it would lead to a heroic rescue of five newborn kittens by Starbucks employees.
Verrier, a volunteer with Pets Bring Joy, spotted the cat running under cars near the coffee shop. She trapped it, took it home and, a few days later, was about to take it to a vet to be neutered when she discovered it was a new mother. That meant there were kittens unattended somewhere near Starbucks.
“I rushed to the busy parking lot and searched the area near where I trapped the mother cat,” Verrier says. “I was worried I would not find the kittens alive, but there they were, huddled together in a sewer near the entrance to the shopping center.”
That presented another problem, she recalls. “How could this not-so-young rescuer get the kittens out of the sewer and to their mother all by herself?”
As people started gathering around the sewer to see what was going on, the Starbuck store manager sent over several employees to investigate.
“This is when four young heroes – Cameron Fernandez, Saida Ladhari, Ronnie Lorek, and Elis Villacorte – came to my aid,” Verrier says. A barista pulled off the manhole cover, and “they gently pulled four of the kittens out of the sewer one by one and placed them in a large box from the Dollar Store so they couldn’t escape.”
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But the fifth kitten was scared and was hiding. That’s when another hero, a Starbucks customer, who was a Wounded Warrior named John, happened to stop by and rescued the final kitten, she says.
Verrier took the tiny kittens home, where they got a long-awaited feeding from their mother. They are doing well and currently weigh about one pound.
“This rescue situation ended well mainly because many kind people came together to help innocent animals,” she says.
The kittens now have Starbucks-inspired names: Bean, Brew, Matcha, Latte, and Cookie Crumble.
Verrier hopes Pets Bring Joy, a cat rescue and adoption organization based in Fairfax, will find forever homes for the kittens.
The mother cat, now named Nugget, is semi-feral and not adoptable. She has been a wonderful mom to the kittens. Verrier would like to find someone with a barn, horse farm, or a yard and garage where she can roam freely outdoors in an area safer than a parking lot.
If you’re interested in adopting Nugget, contact Annandale Today at [email protected].
So glad the kittens were all reunited with their mother and they all survived. Juli must not be an experienced rescuer. If she was she should have been able to tell right away that the mother cat had kittens recently instead of several days later. Feral cat or not.
I agreed. I do not know how she missed that. 😒
She’s actually been rescuing for decades.
She’s done rescue for years, but always with an experienced TNR volunteer (see my separate post below). This is the first time that she’s “soloed” on trapping and trapped a lactating mother.
Inexperienced here. How do you know — if you find one?
Hi! I’m not a trapper, but have been told that if a cat is trapped that cannot be handled, you should stand the trap on end. The cat will most likely climb up the side of the cage, and you can get a good look at the tummy to see if nipples are evident.
That being said, it’s always best to work with someone experienced with TNR (trap neuter release/return); sadly, there aren’t enough such Good Samaritans to help all of the cats in need. 🙁 I greatly appreciate those who tirelessly serve the community — the unsung heroines/heros!
Great job Juli! Regardless of the Karen comments.
For real! Much love to Juli and the Starbucks crew!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Well Done !
Goes to show you all aren’t very smart about cats. A feral, especially just having kittens and being separated from them. It diffidently is not going to let some stranger look under her stomach to see if she gave birth to kittens. How about a good word instead of being negative. Bet you all wouldn’t have spent the time for either.
Thank you Juli & to all of your kind helpers!
PLEASE…Let’s be kind!!
Well done Juli! I’ve rescued cats and kittens for years also and believe me, it is not always easy to tell if a nursing mother has been trapped, especially if the mom is feral.
Juli, fellow kitten foster here – thank you for all that you do!
Not sure if my post was received … will try again.
I’m not a trapper, but I’ve been told that the best way to determine this is to stand the trap on end … the cat will most likely climb up the cage, and you’ll be able to get a good look at the tummy to see if nipples are evident.
There is a black and white cat near the construction lots on Eisenhower and Stover/Mill St. I’ve been worried because its so hot but I can’t ever find it when I’m looking.