A newborn kitten lives another day thanks to the heroic actions of one man.
Joseph Logiudice was stopped in traffic earlier this month when someone threw a small cat out of their car window into the middle of the traffic lane, according to a press release from the Dutchess County SPCA (DCSPCA) obtained by PEOPLE.
“I’m not sure if anyone else noticed or just didn’t care, but I couldn’t live with seeing such a small defenseless creature run over,” Logiudice said. “It wasn’t even a decision, I just acted because I knew I could help.”
Getting out of his car on the three-lane East-West Arterial, which is one of the busiest streets in Dutchess County, New York, Logiudice grabbed the kitten and put her in his car.
The animal later disappeared, but Logiudice eventually found it on his dashboard. “I started to think I was crazy and made the whole thing up,” he said.
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Joseph Logiudice and his dog.
Josip Logiudice
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After his daring rescue, Logiudice decided the DCSPCA would be the best place to bring the kitten to receive help.
“I decided that would be the best idea because maybe they could get her out with food and my car wouldn’t have to be taken apart. I entered the address into my GPS and set off,” said Logiudice.
According to the DCSPCA, their team members spent half an hour trying to get the cat out of the car’s dashboard. After it was safely removed, they named it Paradise after Meat Loaf’s 1977 song “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”.
Paradise – estimated to be 5 weeks old and weighing just over 1 pound – is currently in foster care. He will need to reach 2 pounds, which will happen in about eight to ten weeks, before he can be spayed and made available for adoption.
“We are so grateful for Joseph’s quick actions in saving Paradise,” DCSPCA Executive Director Lynne Meloccaro said in a statement. “It’s hard to imagine something scarier and more dangerous for a little kitten than being dropped on a busy road. Because of Joseph, Paradise now knows the love and protection she, like any animal, deserves.”
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Source: HIS Education