She was there at the exact moment the baby needed her.
Published on May 7, 2026 at 3:45 PM
A few days ago, Lucy Bolton was driving to her parents’ house in Alabama when she noticed two figures in the road ahead. There, standing on the street, were a pair of red-tailed hawks — and one had something firmly in his grasp.
“I assumed it was a squirrel since it was gray and squirrel-sized,” Lucy told The Dodo.
One of the hawks flew away, but the other remained with his intended prey. But it was no squirrel.
Arriving closer, Lucy realized the hawk was actually holding a tiny gray kitten, who was squirming in his powerful grip. She immediately put her car in park.
“I honestly wasn’t sure if I could do anything, but I had to try,” Lucy said.
Seeing her approach, the hawk tried to fly off with the kitten but dropped him as he took to the sky.
“I ran over to the kitten, who was lying on the curb,” Lucy said. “When I reached him, he was rolling around on his back, hissing and clawing at me. Understandably, he was very scared.”
Lucy scooped the kitten into her arms and brought him to her car.
She was seconds too late to stop the attack — but just in time to save him.
Thinking of what to do next, Lucy called her old friend Jonna, who runs Woof Ave Rescue, a nonprofit based in Auburn, Alabama, that cares for and rehomes pets in need.
“I gave her a quick rundown of what happened. She said, ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can,’ with no hesitation,” Lucy said.
Incredibly, despite her run-in with the hawk, the kitten was found to be virtually unscathed.
“Talk about [a] lucky day… Today is this boy’s luckiest day!” Woof Ave wrote. “Thankfully, he’s only got a few scratches, and [is] very shook up, but will be ok now. Seems only fitting to name him Hawk.”
Hawk, believed to have been a stray, is now healing from his wounds and settling in nicely with Woof Ave’s other rescued cats.
When the time is right, he will be adopted into a loving home.
Had Lucy not intervened in time to save the kitten from the hawks, the happy life that awaits him would likely have been cut short.
“I am so glad that I happened to be driving by at the exact moment that poor baby needed someone!” Lucy said. “It was a crazy experience, and I still can’t believe that I witnessed it.”
To find out more, and to learn how you can help, visit Woof Ave Rescue’s website here.