Angler Carter Taylor came home from a recent day of fishing with a very different kind of catch. After discovering a kitten stranded on the side of a creek, Taylor jumped into action to save it, documenting the mission in a video that quickly went viral.
“What started as a simple rescue turned into being blessed with an amazing addition to our family,” Taylor said in a video he shared on TikTok.
‘Dude, that guy was talking about an actual cat’
Taylor, a college student who normally uses TikTok to post fishing content, was heading out on an Arkansas creek for a typical day of fishing. As he was getting on the water, another fisherman told him that there was a cat stuck in a tree. With the noise from a nearby highway, Taylor misunderstood the fisherman and thought he had said a catfish was stuck in some fishing line. Hoping to be on his way, Taylor responded, “Ah well, I’m not much of a catfish guy, but thanks.”
However, just minutes later, Taylor started to hear a cat meowing in distress. Not knowing exactly where it was, he emptied gear from his kayak to go in search. “This whole time the dude was talking about an actual cat,” Taylor said to his friend while climbing into his kayak.
@ctaylor.atx Just to clarify: A few minutes before I got on the water, another fisherman mentioned that there was a cat in a tree. With all the highway noise, I misunderstood him and immediately assumed he meant a catfish that had gotten caught on some fishing line that people leave out for catfishing. I kind of downplayed it and said, “Ah, well, I’m not much of a catfish guy, but thanks,” wished him good luck, and went on my way. It wasn’t until later that I realized he was talking about an ACTUAL cat stuck in a tree That’s why you can hear me say, “That guy was talking about an actual cat,” in the video. God is good! 🙏 FOLLOW FOR MORE / PT 2 #kitten #kayakfishing #kittenrescue #fypシ゚viral #hero
After a brief paddle, Taylor spots a kitten balanced on a tree root on the side of the creek. “Oh my god, it looks so little,” he says in surprise as he nears. He continues talking to the kitten as he approaches, hoping to keep it calm, but it begins to scramble on the narrow root and falls into the water for a moment. Taylor arrives just in time, and the cat climbs onto the front of his kayak and immediately crawls into his lap without any hesitation.
‘Looks like I have been chosen’
The video of the rescue went viral on TikTok, with over 1.5 million views and thousands of people commenting to thank Taylor for rescuing the kitten and offer support and name suggestions, like Banks and River. “Looks like I have been chosen,” Taylor wrote in the caption of a follow-up video providing an update on the situation.
“I think it’s safe to say we are keeping her, and I think her name should be Lucki because that’s my favorite music artist, and hell, she is lucky,” Taylor said.
Taylor shares that he called his girlfriend to come pick up Lucki from the creek and then went out to fish the area and look for any other kittens but found none. Once they had brought Lucki home, they bathed her and discovered she was covered in ticks and other insects. “She did have a few issues, but with antibiotics and continuous vet care she’ll be just fine,” Taylor said.
@ctaylor.atx Replying to @ctaylor.atx Looks like I have been chosen.. #kitten #kittenrescue #kayakfishing #hero #part2
Taylor’s videos show Lucki quickly making herself at home, cuddling with Taylor, his girlfriend and their dog Rigley. Taylor explains that he previously had a cat that went missing and was never found, but he often wishes that cat could meet Rigley.
“I like to think that some way, somehow the cat distribution system delivered me another chance,” Taylor said.
