Stormy the Cat Rescued Moments Before Drowning in Floodwater

A kitten saved from drowning during a record-setting storm in California has been adopted by the couple who rescued him.

"Hero" Skip Campbell acted quickly to save a distressed kitten when a fierce storm unleashed fast-moving floodwater in Sacramento on October 24, a day where 5.4 inches of rain fell—the highest recorded since 1880.

He first spotted the kitten when he went down to check the water levels of the flooded Chicken Ranch Slough with his wife Nancy, according to KCRA3.

Nancy had been recording a video when she heard the calls of a distressed animal, before she and Skip saw a small kitten bobbing in the floodwater.

The video showed the cat being pulled underwater and Nancy, according to the network, could be heard saying: "There's a cat. It's drowning."

Moments later, Skip went into the waist-high water and managed to reach out and pull the kitten out by the scruff of its neck.

A video of the rescue, seen by Newsweek, showed Skip returning from the water with the kitten in hand.

In the clip, Nancy could be heard saying: "Wow. I barely saw it, it was underwater. She kept, like, trying to fight to get up. It's a kitten, right? Hero."

The couple then debated what their next steps should be, with Nancy suggesting the suspected feral cat needed "a warm bath."

Skip and Nancy then took the kitten home and warmed it up and learned it had fluffy gray fur and bright eyes, according to KCRA3.

But, despite being a feral kitten, it soon took to the couple and within a day was snuggling in Nancy's lap.

According to the network, as the kitten tried to hide in her hair, Nancy said: "It likes to hide, not very comfortable coming up to you, but definitely more tame."

Skip added: "It's not trying to scratch or bite us at all—it's just kind of timid, trying to figure us out. It's never had a roof over its head before, so it's just trying to figure out its surroundings."

Soon, the couple took a shine to the kitten and started to call it Stormy. The Campbells have since adopted it into their home, which they share with another rescue cat, a dog, two goats and members of their family.

In an email sent to KCRA3, the couple said: "Well, here's an update: I think we are keeping Stormy. Shocker I know. She snuggled with my older daughter Michelle last night for a few hours and it was over."

Newsweek has contacted Nancy and Skip Campbell for comment.

The heartwarming story comes weeks after news that 12-year-old cat Hermes had been adopted after spending six years in a shelter, melting hearts online.

Users on Reddit celebrated the news and led to an outpouring of people sharing their personal stories of adopting older cats over kittens.