North Carolina Coworkers Witness Heartbreaking Scene As Man Tosses Tiny Kitten Into Storm Drain

It started like any regular day. Tarynn Byrum was at work when one coworker casually asked if she liked cats. Simple question, right? But the look on his face told her something was very, very wrong.

Before she could even ask what happened, the story spilled out, and it hit her like a cold splash of water.

From across the street, her coworker had seen a man in a work truck slow down, lean out the window, and toss something small into a storm gutter… then speed off like he couldn’t get away fast enough.

And that “something small” turned out to be a helpless little orange kitten.

Tarynn didn’t even think. She bolted outside.

There, tucked behind a parking barrier, she spotted a tiny, trembling scrap of life, peeking up at her with scared, crusty eyes. Tarynn shared in an interview:

“I followed him outside, where he pointed out a tiny orange kitten lying in the gutter, peeking at us from over a parking barrier.”

She scooped him up without hesitation. He didn’t wiggle or resist. He just melted into her hands, weak and worn out.

The kitten’s fur was stiff with dirt, and fleas crawled all over him. And his eyes… they were sealed shut with buildup.

Tarynn worried he might even lose his vision, sharing:

“I noticed he was filthy with matted fur and a nasty case of fleas. He also had extreme discharge buildup in his eyes to the point where you couldn’t even tell what color they were, which worried me as I didn’t want that to cause further damage.”

She couldn’t leave him alone for even a second. So she tucked him into a box and kept him close the whole day, checking on him every chance she got.

As soon as her shift ended, she rushed him to the emergency vet. She stayed there long after sunset, watching as the staff handled him, ran tests, and tried to figure out just how much damage had been done.

In her mind, she kept telling herself she’d foster him only long enough for him to get strong again.

She’d give him a soft place to rest, some love, and then find him a forever family. She said:

“The plan was to get him back to 100%, foster him and find someone who would love him as much as I did, and be open to staying in contact so I could get updates on him as he grew.”

But that plan didn’t last even 24 hours.

The moment she held him again, she knew. There was no way she could ever let him go.

And just like that, he became Nugget.

After she shared his story on TikTok, the internet absolutely exploded with love. Hundreds of thousands of people fell for this brave little survivor, cheering him on from all over.

Nugget’s first weeks weren’t easy. He had a minor heart murmur and an overwhelming flea infestation.

North Carolina summers are brutal when it comes to pests, and Tarynn found herself deep-cleaning her home, giving flea baths, and doing treatment after treatment.

But Nugget fought through every single hurdle.

He slowly gained weight, turning from half a pound of fragile fluff into a sturdy, happy kitten with the sweetest little personality.

And he has one adorable quirk that makes him even more special: he doesn’t meow. At all. Not even a squeak. Tarynn said:

“Not sure why, it’s not a health issue or anything, but he just can’t meow! He opens his mouth, and it appears like he is, but it’s completely silent. It’s the weirdest thing.”

Now, looking back on the day she found him lying in that gutter, Tarynn knows exactly why she was there at that moment. Some things just line up too perfectly to be random.

Nugget wasn’t just rescued. He was found by the one person meant to love him forever.

Watch Nugget’s journey in this video.