Litter of Sickly Kittens Find Unlikely Home at Maximum Security Prison

Well, here’s a heartwarming story to get you through your Wednesday. Recently, a litter of kittens somehow found their way into Great Meadow Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Washington County, New York. When discovered by employees, the kittens were sickly and in need of help, so the Great Meadow staff and inmates took it upon themselves to provide just that.

Bruce Porter, Great Meadow’s head electrician, now arrives an hour before his shift every day just to take care of the cats.

“I’ve got a soft heart for any sort of animal. I don’t mind helping them out a bit,” he tells Poststar.com.

During the weekend when Porter is off, an inmate known as the “cat whisperer” steps in to care for the kittens (who are now healthy) and teach them tricks. Another prisoner has even built them a “kitty condo” out of wood scraps and chicken wire so they can continue living in the facility without getting hurt.

As far as care costs go, most funds are donated by the staff and a local veterinary clinic provides medical service at a discounted rate.

The kittens have all been given names based on the prison and the surrounding area. There’s Doc (short for Dept. of Correctional Services), Annie (Fort Ann), Meadow (Great Meadow) and Comstock (the prison location).

Porter hopes to eventually adopt the kittens to his fellow staff members. If not enough people step forward, he will make them available to the public. While it might be exciting to get your very own prison cat (think of all the stories it could tell you from the inside), please remember — if this story touched your heart — that there are plenty of cats who need adopting at your local shelter.