On a rainy July afternoon in Byram, Mississippi, a call came in to the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) — and it was urgent.
A tiny kitten was stranded in a marsh above a stormwater pond at a local apartment complex. She was alone, soaked, and barely visible among the overgrown weeds.
Peggy Harrell, ARF’s shelter director, and cofounder Pippa Jackson knew they had no time to waste.
“The kitten had somehow ended up on a floating bog — this tangled mat of grasses and vines,” Jackson explained. “She found a little nest of woven roots in the center and just hunkered down there.”
The only thing keeping her from falling through into the cold water below was her size — she weighed less than a pound. Too small to sink, but too scared to move.
ARF volunteer Kelly Collins rushed to the scene and tried to reach her, but the terrain was treacherous. The ground shifted underfoot, the bog trembled with every step, and the kitten kept darting in and out of hiding.
“Kelly was afraid she might spook the kitten,” Jackson said. “If the kitten ran, she could slip into the water and drown.”
As nightfall approached, it was clear: waiting wasn’t an option.
“The storm drain, the cold, the snakes — she wouldn’t survive the night,” Jackson wrote on Facebook.
So Jackson called in reinforcements — a group of ARF workers who also happened to be inmates from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. They didn’t hesitate.
“She started screaming for us — like she knew we were her only chance,” Jackson said. “We just had to find her.”
The rescue team sloshed into the muddy marsh, waist-deep in some spots, slipping, stumbling, and calling out in “kitten speak.” Onlookers across the street watched in amazement as 14 people in striped jumpsuits combed the swamp with quiet determination.
And then, someone spotted movement. A tiny blur dashed across the vines — it was her.
One of the rescuers lunged forward, carefully but quickly, and caught her.
She was cold, filthy, and trembling — but alive.
They named her Marsha, after the marsh where she was found. Back at the shelter, she got a warm bath, a checkup, and a meal. Turns out, Marsha has a fondness for snuggling — and hamburgers.
“Marsha is something special,” Jackson said. “She’s sassy and sweet, follows us around like a shadow, and absolutely loves being held.”
Months later, Marsha has transformed. She’s no longer that fragile kitten floating on roots — she’s grown into a confident, beautiful cat full of affection and curiosity.
Now all she needs is a home.
“She’s GORGEOUS,” Jackson said. “Whoever adopts her is going to be so lucky.”
