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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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A tourist staying in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, documented a now-viral effort to rescue a blind kitten as Hurricane Melissa made landfall.
Vacationer Adrienne Brynteson (@sillyjetplane), 33, from Pensacola, Florida, shared a series of updates from a couples resort on Jamaica’s north coast as the Category 5 storm hit the island. A video of her finding the kitten has drawn more than 10,000 likes and over 158,000 views.
"We found the cat yesterday [on Monday 27] blind and in a low spot of the resort so we relocated him inside after much pushing on the staff," Adrienne told Newsweek. "They didn’t want us to trap him at first but eventually let us and helped us put him in the conference room on property. I’m hoping he has a better chance of surviving the storm now."
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Adrienne said she and her partner arrived on Wednesday, October 22. As conditions worsened, resort activities and services were shut down. "We’ve tried to make the best of it and we hope everyone is safe. This is so scary for all of Jamaica," she added.
Now, the island is reeling from the aftermath of the Category 5 hurricane—the strongest storm in recorded history to ever hit Jamaica. Melissa is now approaching Cuba.
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On October 28, the U.S. Department of State updated its travel advisory for Jamaica to Level 3 ("Reconsider Travel"), adding a "natural disaster" risk indicator.
Non-emergency personnel and family members of U.S. government employees were authorized to leave Jamaica due to the hurricane’s effects. The advisory also encouraged travelers to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive emergency updates from the U.S. Embassy in Kingston.
Days earlier, on October 22, the embassy had issued a weather alert as Tropical Storm Melissa approached. At the time, the storm was located about 300 miles southeast of Morant Point, Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph and strengthening expected.
Brynteson, who is from an area that is affected by hurricanes, was unaware of the storm's arrival.
"We would have never came if we knew a cat 4 hurricane was going to hit. We live where it hurricanes and trust me we would not do this on purpose," she said.
In a string of TikTok updates filmed throughout the storm, Adrienne shared what it was like to be stranded as the hurricane approached. On Monday, she said that her flight home had been canceled and described "on and off raining" that was "a little scary."
As the storm strengthened, Adrienne showed resort staff boarding up windows and delivering meals to guests’ rooms. She and her partner packed "go bags" with passports, medicines, and essentials, used towels to block water at the doors, and pushed furniture against the glass for protection.
Adrienne later said that resort staff wouldn’t allow the cat into guest rooms since it wasn’t vaccinated, but said it had been moved to the conference room.
She added that the room was higher up from where the feline was found and that she hoped it would "weather the storm."
By Tuesday evening, Adrienne said the worst of the hurricane had passed. "We lost water, but it’s back on now … the power’s been in and out … but it’s been really good," she added. "The storm has pretty much passed us completely … we’re just in bed watching a movie and we’re going to go to sleep."
Adrienne added that the hotel staff had worked exceptionally to keep guests fed and safe.
As the owner of Coastal Cat Cafe in Pensacola, Florida, Adrienne said she couldn’t stop thinking about the animals left behind on the island.
Fortunately, the cat survived the storm, and now she hopes to somehow bring the kitten home with her, if she can work out the logistics.
TikTok viewers flooded the comments with gratitude and encouragement for her compassion amid chaos. "To everyone sheltering animals for this hurricane, I thank you soo much! All my heart goes for you all on Jamaica, human and animals," wrote Lorena.
"From cat rescuers everywhere, thank you so much," shared Meow Mission.
"Oh my goodness!! What a sweet lil kitty, so glad you helped him," added another user.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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