It’s always inspiring to see celebrities helping shelter dogs, but one recent story is truly remarkable: when a kitten named “Bret Michaels” saved the life of a kitten, it got the attention of his rockstar namesake, leading to a very happy ending.
On October 17, the Nebraska Humane Society shared an inspiring story about a “hero” dog in their care. They recently took in a trio of month-old kittens who were found in bad shape, dirty and covered in fleas.
One of the kittens was in especially bad shape, and was weak and lethargic. They realized he was suffering from flea anemia, and was in desperate need of a blood transfusion.
An unlikely hero stepped up to save the kitten’s life: a 6-year-old husky named Bret Michaels.
The shelter explained that they didn’t have time to identify the cat’s blood type to find a suitable feline donor, but canine blood can be transfused to felines in a process called xenotransfusion. The husky donated blood, saving the kitten’s life: the cat is reportedly “on the road to recovery.”
The husky’s life-saving blood donation would be an inspiring story in itself, but it’s what happened next that’s truly special.
As any ’80s music fans surely know, the husky is named after rock star Bret Michaels, frontman of glam metal band Poison.
DFree / .com
Well, the real Bret Michaels heard about the life-saving efforts of his canine namesake, and also learned that the husky was up for adoption, looking for a forever home.
The “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” singer contacted the shelter — and said he wanted to adopt the dog!
The Nebraska Humane Society announced the incredible news on October 20: “We can’t wait to see how he thrives in his new home, we just hope it doesn’t get too confusing when someone tells Bret Michaels to fetch!”
The news was also confirmed by Michaels, who shared photos of his beautiful new pet on Facebook. “He’s got everything that says – I’m Bret Michaels A Husky and I’ve been adopted by Bret Michaels The Rockstar,” he wrote.
READ MORE:
Taylor Swift makes donation to Tennessee animal shelter, has four puppies named in her honor
Carrie Underwood adopts shelter puppy while on tour: ‘just too good to be true’
“I could not have been more touched and more honored to adopt Bret Michaels the husky, knowing that he gave blood to save the life of a kitten,” Michaels told People. “I could not work fast enough to adopt this husky and extend the awesome quality of little Bret Jr.’s life.”
He told the outlet that he had recently lost his 14-year-old German shepherd Phoenix, and the story “brought a smile back into my family’s life.”
In another post, Michaels said he visited the shelter and met the “incredible human beings & staff that worked so hard to save & improve pet lives,” as well as the kitten that the husky saved, who is named Roses & Thorn. He said that he was making it his mission to find a home for the kitten.
Thank you to Bret Michaels (the dog) for saving this kitten’s life, and thank you to Bret Michaels (the rock star) for adopting this amazing husky! It was truly meant to be ❤️🥰
Please share this amazing news!
Read more about shelter pets with celebrity namesakes:
Shelter cat named ‘Dennis Quaid’ gets adopted by the real Dennis Quaid
Halle Berry helps promote shelter cat named ‘Halle Berry’
Dog named ‘Pawl Ruff’ goes viral for his resemblance to actor Paul Rudd
Dame Judi Dench meets a rescued seal named after her at animal sanctuary