University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Rozell's Kitten Rescue
9/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Junior Erika Rozell has a passion for animals. That is easy to see by the unconditional love she has for her two cats Reggie and Felix.
She was able to use her passion to make a difference in a big way this summer.
Just two weeks into her job as a stadium operations employee at TCF Bank Stadium Rozell found out there was a stray cat around the stadium.
"About a week after that I found out that there had been word of kitten sightings," Rozell said. "Every time I worked I went and looked in the places that people said they had seen them to see if I could find them."
Rozell found two kittens, Nigel and Thor, and took them into the Humane Society. It was there she met a woman named Marcy.
"I got out of my car with the kittens in the carrier and she insisted on seeing them and petting them," Rozell said.
After hearing Rozell's story Marcy instantly wanted to help. She said she would take in the kittens, foster them and pay for all the vet bills. Together they teamed up to find them good homes.
Rozell did not stop her search around the stadium thinking there was still one more kitten to be found. Her hunch was not wrong as she rescued another one, Tiny Tim, which got itself tangled into some netting on the field. It was very weak and Rozell actually gave it CPR to prolong its life long enough to get to the vet.
Just a week later Rozell found yet another kitten, Leo. It was a long road to recovery for Leo who had his head cocked to the side and a hole dug into his neck from a parasite. The vet was able to remove the parasite and get Leo on medication. After two weeks of love and care from Rozell and Marcy Leo had been fostered to full health.
Nigel and Thor now live happily with Marcy's niece. It was important to Rozell that they got placed in a house together since they had been together since she found them. Leo is getting spoiled in a house with one of Rozell's friends and her five roommates in La Crosse, Wis. Tiny Tim did not make it but is buried by Marcy's cabin with a toy since he never was able to play with one in his short life.
The whole experience was one Rozell will never forget.
"I love animals and I got to experience having kittens again because my cats are not really kittens anymore," Rozell said. "It was very fun to meet a random woman in Marcy and be able to collaborate together, save these kittens lives and find them homes."