Cody Garrett, a police officer in South Carolina, was on call one rainy night when he heard some other officers talking about a kitten they had rescued from a dumpster.

They’d gotten to her just in time. Shortly after they got back to the station, there was a flash flood in the area, which may have caused the dumpster to fill with water.

The rescuers brought her to the police station, where Garrett was able to meet the little ginger tabby, and it was love at first sight.

None of the cops who had rescued her could take the kitten home, so he immediately volunteered.

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The timing could not have been better.

Garrett’s other cat, Toothless (who does have teeth, don’t worry), was a new mom. She was still nursing her new kittens, and Garrett was hoping his cat could take care of this new kitten too.

Toothless was the perfect mom, and adopted the little tabby like one of her own.

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Garrett named the rescue tabby Squirt, and she quickly became one of the family.

She loves to cuddle up with her siblings for a nice cat nap!

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And it wasn’t just the other animals in the house.

Through the magic of social media filters… she was even able to bear a resemblance to her new dad!

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Garrett posted the adorable twinning photo of Squirt on his shoulder in the patrol car. Instagram ate it up – the image went viral!

Squirt was given honorary police-officer status, and sometimes goes along with Garrett to fight crime. But most of the time, she stays at home with her other animal brothers and sisters. She loves her new family.

Garrett is no stranger to being an adoptive dad.

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Just before he found Squirt, he saved an old blind dachshund who he found wandering the streets. On another occasion he found some abused puppies who were in need of some help, and helped them find a loving home.

A true hero!

Thanks to his big heart, all of these animals were safely brought to good homes.

Garrett has since retired from the force, so he now has tons of time to spend with his family. His pets, his partner, and his kids are all loving the extra time they have to spend with him.

Retiring doesn’t mean he gets to sleep in though!

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He now focuses his time on his YouTube channel, where he streams video gaming and makes general vlogs about his life.

He attributes the success of his channel (which now has more than a million subscribers!) to little Squirt.

When Squirt’s story went viral, it brought a lot of attention to Garrett and his online brand. Without Squirt he might not have been able to retire from the force and make social media his full-time job!

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The world needs more people like Cody Garrett!

This kindhearted soul helped a defenseless, homeless kitten have a better life. I don’t think life gets much better for a cat!

Cody Garrett goes by donutoperator on Instagram and YouTube, where he posts photos and videos of Squirt and the other members of his animal kingdom.

Check out the precious video of Squirt’s changes as she’s grown up by clicking below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Purr World, Donut Operator