Woman drives past tornado to save dying kitten

A teeny ginger kitten was abandoned by his mother in a barn. Sick and barely holding onto life, his guardian angel risked her own to save him.

"His name is Gizmo and we call him Gizzy and he is our little sweetheart."

tc1
Image via Carla Picek

"Gizzy's mama was a barn cat and she must have sensed there was something wrong with him," Carla Picek from South Dakota told Love Meow.

Picek found Gizmo on Facebook and inquired about him. "The gal called me and asked if I could take him because she thought he would die and she didn't have the time for him."

After the phone call, Picek set out to get the kitten... but a tornado had touch down on the way to get her fur baby. That didn't stop her. She knew he wouldn't last another day.

tc2
Image via Carla Picek

"There was a tornado touch down about 7 miles south heading east and I had to go 10 miles east to pick him up, the sky was really dirty and dark from the fields it touched down in," Picek told Love Meow.

Despite more tornado warnings and sitings of them touching down on her drive up, she drove. When she finally got to him, the girl handed her the kitten and she knew he was struggling to stay alive.

"He was so skinny you could see and feel his backbones and hip bones were protruding out. He had matted eyes and I just gave him a hug and told him he was going to be ok."

tc3
Image via Carla Picek

After taking the kitten home, Picek was on around the clock care for him. She warmed him up by wrapping him in a blanket and feeding him formula through a syringe.

"I came home on lunches to give him kitten formula mixed with wet food for two weeks. He stood on the plate and has been spoiled ever since."

tc4
Image via Carla Picek

Sadly, Gizmo had lost his site. But, he doesn't let that stop him!

"We think he can see some shadows but not much at all. He is about 8 months old now and does great getting around. When he's playing he loses his toys at times but runs and plays with the other cats."

Picek's cats took little Gizmo in as their own. Especially Cody, their 7-toed gentle giant, who took on a daddy role and looked after Gizmo with a protective eye.