- A Michigan teenager has turned her special connection with a rescued cat into a $50,000 holiday surprise for a cat shelter.
- In an essay contest put on by Petco, 13-year-old Sidney Hertzberg wrote about how the kitten she adopted from Ferndale Cat Shelter has been a saving grace for her.
- Sidney says the essay was straight from the heart. She wrote about what she’s going through personally and how her adopted kitten, Mr. Mittens is helping her.
- “I have an illness called pots and so with some of the symptoms that come with the illness are dizziness, fatigue and muscle aches," Sidney said. "My cat Mr. Mittens, I got him when he was 4 ounces and he was about a week old so he was very, very small and he had to be bottle-fed. And I really thought I was going to help save his life but I did not even know he would actually help save mine."
- With her heartfelt essay, Sidney won the contest and was awarded $50,000! She donated it all to the Ferndale Cat Shelter. The executive director says she couldn’t believe it.
- And if $50,000 wasn’t enough, Sidney is starting a program called Sidney's Seniors for Seniors. It’s a program where senior cats are placed with seniors citizens and all the food and medical bills are paid for.