Floodwaters turned a movie theater lobby into a shallow, debris-filled lake on the morning of November 14, 2024 — and left its smallest occupant stranded on top of the concession counter.

Chest-mounted bodycam footage recorded at 09:18:42 shows a flood rescuer wading through muddy water inside the flooded cinema, where a tiny orange tabby kitten crouches soaked on the black concession display counter. Its wet fur sticks up in messy spikes, its ears are slightly lowered, and its round eyes stay fixed on the approaching rescuer. All around it, paper cups and popcorn drift on the floodwater, chairs lie overturned, movie posters glow above the waterline, and heavy rain streaks the tall glass entrance doors.

In the footage, the rescuer — wearing a dark navy-blue waterproof jacket with silver reflective stripes, black tactical gloves and a safety harness with yellow rope and silver carabiners — moves in slowly and extends both gloved hands toward the kitten. The kitten lifts its head, blinks and lets out a small meow, but does not run.

The rescuer then slides one hand beneath the kitten’s chest and the other under its hindquarters and lifts it gently clear of the wet counter, water droplets falling from its fur. Carried securely in both hands across the flooded lobby, the kitten is lowered onto a folded towel waiting on a raised, dry section of the concession area, where it settles, still trembling slightly, as the rescuer’s hands rest reassuringly beside it.

The rescue, captured in a single continuous bodycam shot, is one of countless small animal rescues carried out during the flooding, as response teams checked public buildings — including cinemas, shops and transport hubs — for stranded pets and wildlife sheltering on any raised surface they could find.

Officials remind residents evacuating flooded areas to take pets with them where possible, and to report stranded animals to local rescue teams rather than attempting to wade through floodwater themselves.