If you ask any cat lover, they will agree with you at once that love at first is real. They will tell you the story of how they met their kitty and how they felt an instant connection. They will also tell you how they knew they would be together forever.

This is what happened to firefighter Brandon Mulvaney, who rescued a tiny kitten named Huntley from a storm drain.

The Brandon-Huntley Story

Brandon’s love story with his cat started with a call to the Saginaw Fire Department in Michigan. Someone reported an animal stuck in a storm drain at 1:00 am in the morning.

Brandon and his colleagues, along with the Saginaw County Animal Care & Control (SCACC), arrived at the scene to save the kitten. Brandon volunteered to go down the seven-foot hole and crawl into the pipe where the kitten was.

Saving His Future Best Friend Brandon reached the end of the pipe, but it was too small for him to continue. He had to wait and call for the cat, hoping it would come out. After a few minutes, he saw the kitten peek out of the pipe and grabbed him. He carried him out and felt a strong bond with him.

A Love Confession

Brandon told People that he had to crawl on his hands and knees approximately 10 feet more just to meet an end-of-road with a smaller pipe that he could no longer access. He then knew that he needed to be patient.

And, at the moment he saw the cat peek out of the pipe, he was certain he wanted the kitten because it approached him.

The SCACC posted a photo of Brandon and the adorable Huntley, thanking him for his heroic act.

They said, “A huge SCACC THANK YOU to our Saginaw Firefighter Friend and Animal Hero Brandon Mulvaney. He, assisted by his crew, crawled down into a pipe 7 ft deep and over 10ft through another pipe at 1:00 AM to rescue the precious heartbeat he is holding.”

Difficult to Let Go

Brandon had to give up Huntley to the SCACC officers, who would take care of him until he was ready for adoption. Huntley was only a few weeks old and needed special care.

Brandon missed him a lot and called the SCACC every week for two and a half months to check on him.

He admitted to calling once a week for about two and a half months until he got the approval for adoption.

A Forever Home Filled with Love!

Huntley Goes Home Finally, Huntley was healthy enough to go to his forever home. Brandon and his family were overjoyed and went to the shelter to pick him up. Thanks to the BISSELL Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters” campaign, they could adopt him for free!

Now, Huntley is living happily with his dad, mom, four human siblings, and a dog friend. He is a playful and affectionate kitten, who loves his family. Brandon calls him a “spitfire” and a “love bug.”

Huntley and Brandon’s story shows us how love, at first sight, can happen between a man and his cat!