Tiny stray kitten prompts Alabama man to rescue homeless animals

A tiny gray kitten named Henry prompted Calvin Tucker to begin feeding and rescuing stray cats and dogs in his Alabama town, and he founded the nonprofit SOCAT in 2020 after a viral video helped raise funds.

Calvin Tucker found a tiny gray kitten next to his car in November 2015 and named him Henry. Tucker had worked with special-needs children but felt something was missing in his life. The kitten changed his priorities and he began feeding stray cats and dogs in his Alabama town where there was no animal control. Henry moved in with Tucker on January 10, 2016, and Tucker’s care expanded into wider rescue work. Known facts: - Tucker encountered the kitten in November 2015 and named him Henry. - Tucker had been working with special-needs children but described a sense of something missing in his life. - He began feeding stray cats and dogs and helped manage cat colonies with feeding and spay/neuter efforts. - Henry moved into Tucker’s home on January 10, 2016. - A video of Tucker’s work went viral, raising funds that helped him start SOCAT (Saving One Creature At a Time) in 2020. - SOCAT has been reported to have rescued hundreds of animals over more than five years, and Tucker has been called "Black Noah". Summary: The chance meeting with Henry led Tucker to shift his daily focus toward caring for homeless animals and, with public support after a viral video, to found SOCAT in 2020. The organization has since rescued hundreds of animals and brought attention to local gaps in animal control. Undetermined at this time.