Kitten tossed off bridge finds second chance

As Karen Griffin Allen and her husband Dennis were driving their boat along Clouter Creek after a day on the water Sunday, she saw something fly off the Mark Clark Expressway bridge and hit the water like a brick.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that the projectile was a kitten, which was now swimming for its life against the current in a resilient effort to make it to shore.

Allen went for a fishing net, scooped the animal out of the water and began caring for it.

"I didn't think she was going to live," she said.

After borrowing some cat litter from her neighbor, she set up a makeshift pen for the kitten in her Daniel Island office.

The kitten - temporarily christened "Splat the Cat"- was a hit there, barely allowed to rest due to all the attention it received.

"She's getting lots of visitors," Allen said.

After allowing Splat to settle a bit, Allen began making phone calls and sending out e-mails about the animal, hoping to find it a home.

She said she received plenty of responses to take in the kitten but came to believe Splat needed medical care before being given a new home. She settled on the Feline Freedom Coalition, a 20-acre sanctuary in Ravenel that cares for abandoned, abused and feral cats.

Allen initially reached out to Charleston County Animal Control but decided against turning the kitten over to them after learning it was possible that Splat could face euthanization.

"She already made it this far," Allen said. "Ought to make it all the way."

Debbie Williams, a Feline Freedom Coalition volunteer, said the organization has the kitten in its care. It will be there for six weeks while it undergoes tests for diseases.

Splat also will go through a "charm school" where it will learn to become more suitable for domestic life, although Allen said the animal has been well-behaved.

Aside from the occasional meow, Splat is quiet and doesn't put up a fight when lifted for photos and general showing off.

The kitten was slightly malnourished and tired from its harrowing swim, but it appears to have suffered no physical injuries.

"I don't know how she's alive," Allen said.

After its six weeks at the Feline Freedom Coalition, Splat probably will be placed at the PetSmart in West Ashley for adoption, Williams said.