Plumber was headed to work when a car drove by and dropped a trash bag — his keen observation saved a life

Many times, we witness certain situations and notice things that are wrong or heartbreaking and there is not much we can do. Sometimes, we don’t have the resources or don’t understand how to fix certain situations. Nevertheless, even the little action taken to help makes a life-saving difference. Jason Schwartz, a plumbing technician at Handyside Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical in Etters, managed to save a life on a random day at work, all because he chose to help as best as he could, per the York Daily Record. Schwartz was heading to work as usual and spotted something moving in a trash bag. He didn’t hesitate to check it and help.

Schwartz was gathering his things from his car before he could go to the client’s home for work. Suddenly, a car drove past him and threw a trash bag on the side of the road. The plumber didn’t think much of it. However, when the bag started moving, he got suspicious. He went closer but feared there might be a snake in the bag. He took one of his pipes and moved the bag to figure out more. “That’s when he realized it was an abandoned kitten,” Olivia Thomas, Handyside Plumbing marketing administrator, said. Inside the bag was a 2-week-old kitten, clearly abandoned and left to die in a trash bag. The tiny feline was too weak to walk and could barely keep its eyes open. 

Around 6.5 million pets are abandoned or lost and enter shelters, according to key statistics from The Zebra. It is painstaking to imagine how many might be left on the streets like the kitten Schwartz encountered. Luckily, Schwartz spotted the moving bag and saw the kitten. He knew he couldn’t leave the feline to die helplessly. To his luck, the client he was to meet offered a blanket and a box for the kitten. Schwartz had to make one more stop before he headed back to the office. Luckily, the client, an emergency medical technician, had a few syringes and was able to feed the kitten.

The plumber immediately returned to the office, where Thomas, a cat lover and cat mom, tended to the kitten. She first took the feline to the Valley Green Veterinary Hospital. The kitten was diagnosed with pneumonia, but as they arrived on time, the fur baby was treated and recovered. Thomas decided to take the kitten home and look after it. “People do a lot of bad things out there, so it makes me feel better that I can correct that,” she said.

“Every time I look at her, I wonder how they could do that, but I think everything happens for a reason and now she’s with me and she’s my family,” she remarked. The store shared a post on Instagram of the rescued kitten, asking for name suggestions. “This little kitten was saved by our very own Jason S. on the job after he witnessed someone drop her out of a car window in a trash bag. Today, she’s safe living with another Handyside employee and is very loved,” the caption read.