Via Community News Service, in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton, for the Rutland Herald.
An unexpected furry celebrity named Crumby has been newly discovered in Rutland.
Crumby, an enthusiastic kitten, was chosen as one of just three kittens nationwide to appear in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl halftime show.
The yearly event will air at 2 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, featuring adoptable puppies playing in a miniature football stadium, with kittens in the spotlight during the halftime show.
Crumby’s path to the national stage began shortly before Christmas, during a particularly terrible cold snap. Employees at a local convenience store in downtown Rutland had been feeding a stray mother cat and her three babies but were concerned about their safety as temperatures plummeted.
“It was during that sub-zero temperature, and she (store employee) was very worried about the health and welfare of these little kitties,” said Maria Caron, president of the nonprofit organization, Feline Connection.
Crumby’s mother had found protection for her kittens in a crawl space beneath a nearby house. On Dec. 23, volunteers from The Feline Connection jumped into action, catching and transporting the small feline family to safety. The kittens were initially housed with Caron for socialization, but as they grew, they were transferred to another foster family.
“Mom was a smart mother. She found some shelter beneath a house behind the convenience store. She figured out a cool way to keep them warm and healthy, and personally fed them,” Caron said. “We had some of our volunteers go out and get them and bring them to me, and they stayed with me for a little while to be socialized.”
In early October 2024, Animal Planet reached out to The Feline Connection, expressing interest in featuring one of their kittens in the Puppy Bowl halftime show.
“There were three kittens chosen out of the whole country, our kitten being one of them. Eleven puppies and three kittens chosen out of the country from different rescues,” said Kirsten Gay Davenport, Feline Connection vice president and secretary.
However, the opportunity was almost missed because the initial email went to Caron’s spam folder.
“The producer reached out to me a second time on the deadline of the day we had to give them notification if we wanted to participate. I didn’t see it until 11 o’clock that night,” Caron said.
Fortunately, she responded in time, and after a background check on the organization, the decision was made.
The chosen kitten had to be under 20 weeks old, and Crumby stood out among his siblings as outgoing and hyper, Caron said.
“He immediately started playing with all the toys and jumping up in the air, being very social,” Caron said. “The other two are still much more shy, but Crumby blossomed.”
The rescue organization relies mainly on private donations and grants. Caron sees this as an excellent opportunity for exposure.
“I am honored and excited. It’ll be fantastic publicity for us,” said Caron. “We’re a small organization, but we’re growing. We almost don’t have enough volunteers. We’re hoping that the more publicity we get, the more volunteers and donors we’ll attract.”
The Feline Connection’s objective is to enhance and better the lives of homeless cats by using a trap, neuter and return system (TNR), which is widely considered the most humane method of managing stray cats. The organization also focuses on those who might suffer in typical shelters or who could be injured.
As The Feline Connection prepares Crumby for his big TV debut, they remain focused on their mission.
“We’re in the streets, we’re in the barns, we’re going out and catching these kitties,” Gay Davenport said. “We will take sick ones in, and we will work with them until they’re ready to go. Some we take in are very sick. Some of them can even be close to death when we get them. We will take in kittens that have such severe upper respiratory that they’re barely alive. We have incubators that we use, like a small ICU so that we can care for these animals.”
Crumby will represent Rutland on national television this Sunday. His journey from a frozen crawl space near a local convenience store to the bright lights of Animal Planet exemplifies one local humane organization’s dedication and the importance of giving animals a second chance.