The Daily Populous Tuesday December 24th, 2024 morning edition
Authored by kwtx.com and submitted by Cinnamon2017

YUMA, Ariz. (AZFamily/Gray News) – An 8-year-old boy from Arizona demonstrated a serious act of kindness when he gave up his skateboard to save a kitten.

Zayin Berry, 8, said he saw other children tossing a kitten around like a football and stepped in to save the animal.

Zayin’s mom, Rhiannon Berry, said they were at a local park when Zayin saw the kids abusing the kitten.

He offered the other kids his skateboard in exchange for the kitten, which they agreed to.

Zayin’s act of kindness led him to an inseparable bond with his new best friend, Peaches.

“He just fell in love with it, and you could see it… you could see the cat just loved him,” his mom said.

After rescuing Peaches, they took him home but quickly realized he needed medical care.

“You could hear its breathing was all congested, and his paws were all caked with gunk on it,” Berry said.

The Humane Society in Yuma said Peaches had an upper respiratory infection, which caused one of his eyes to need to be surgically removed. Thankfully, Peaches is recovering well.

Lauren Twerdak with the Humane Society said Zayin’s actions saved Peaches' life.

“For Zayin to have that care and that drive at such a young age is honestly outstanding,” Twerdak said.

Community members are coming together to thank Zayin for what he did.

The manager from the Humane Society, along with the retailer Zumiez which sells skateboards, came together to give Zayin a gift card to buy a new skateboard.

“He actually went down to Zumiez and built the whole thing the way he wanted it,” his mom said.

The Berry family also received donations so they could officially adopt Peaches and get him neutered.

“We explained to him that he [Peaches] was going to lose his eye, but he said that was ‘Fine as long as he can live because that’s my best friend,‘” Berry said.

Twerdak said the Humane Society of Yuma is working hard to save homeless cats. She said Yuma has a big population of feral cat colonies.

To donate to the shelter, click here.

Copyright 2024 KPHO via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

SuicideEngine on December 23rd, 2024 at 18:04 UTC »

Im hearing that there were multiple kids hirting an animal.

Investigate the families for abuse, get the kids checked for mental health problems, and have the schools monitor the kids.

TheFlyingBoxcar on December 23rd, 2024 at 17:56 UTC »

Yeah hi where can I buy this kid a skateboard?

batting1000bob on December 23rd, 2024 at 17:42 UTC »

That's a hero.