An 8-year-old boy was hailed a hero after saving a kitten from children terrorizing the injured feline.
Zayin Berry spotted the incident and gave the kids his skateboard to play with so they would stop using the cat as a football.
‘I felt sad and mad. I let them play with my skateboard and they were kicking it and using it as a football,’ Zayin told KYMA News 11.
‘They went to go play with it and I picked up the cat and ran to my mom,’ Zayin added.
His mom, Rhiannon Berry, was just as concerned for the cat’s wellbeing as her son was when she saw it.
‘He was like «Mom, the cat is very hurt! Can we keep it? Can we fix it? You could tell it wanted love and it just curled up,’ she said to KYMA News 11.
According to Rhiannon, the cat, who they named Peaches, was ‘all messed up in the eye, very skinny, and small.’
The roughhousing children took off with the skateboard while Rhiannon brought Peaches to the Humane Society of Yuma (HSOY) in Arizona.
Zayin Berry, 8, rescued a kitten later named Peaches from kids terrorizing the animal in Arizona
Zayin’s mom, Rhiannon Berry, brought Peaches to the Humane Society of Yuma (HSOY) in Arizona after she saw the cat’s injuries
Rhiannon confirmed Peaches was in rough shape in a November 21 Facebook post, and the humane society was ‘taking care of her.’
She revealed the feline sounded congested, and her eyes were stuck closed after Zayin found the kitten.
‘Bought it a very soft fluffy blanket gave her a warm bath and cleaned her eyes out as much as possible but got yellow coming from the area so definitely probably eye infection…,’ Rhiannon wrote.
‘She is so lovable and is definitely happy wants to cuddle and purrs constantly she’s happy we saved her from the lonely cold scared nights she must of been having.’
‘The cat was in really rough shape,’ Annette Lagunas, the Executive Director at HSOY, told KYMA News 11.
‘Kitties get upper respiratory infections and a lot of times it can get into their eyes so badly that they have to be removed and that’s what happened in this case.’
The Humane Society of Yuma appreciated what Zayin did after he spotted the injured Peaches with the other children.
‘Mom and Dad have raised a good young man here. They have taught this child how to care for something and give up something that is their own personal to help another creature,’ Lagunas said.
Annette Lagunas, the Executive Director at HSOY praised Zayin for the rescue
Zumies was also impressed with Zayin’s good deed and even gave him a brand-new skateboard and gift card.
The family decided to adopt Peaches and will also be responsible for paying adoption and microchip installation fees.
Berry did not reveal the total cost of Peaches’ care on her Facebook post, but the national average cost for routine vet visits is between $25 and $186, according to CareCredit.
Annual vaccines and routine tests usually cost between $65 and $150, and can occasionally cost around $350 if an outdoor cat requires additional treatments.
Pet owners looking to neuter their animals in the US could spend between $165 and $250, while microchipping animals may cost up to $95.
Rhiannon confirmed the family would have to pay for all of Peaches’ medical fees, including neutering.
She noted that donations would be ‘appreciated’ and revealed her Cash App and Zelle usernames – $mommaberry2012 and berryclan2012@gmail.com.
Daily Mail has reached out to the Humane Society of Yuma for comment about Peaches’ rescue and recovery.
