Cop Stops A Speeding Car — Then Sees Something Far More Important

"Because he then had a kitten in one hand, he let the speeder go with a warning."

What began as a routine traffic stop on a highway in Virginia ended up turning into something far more important indeed — a rescue mission to save the life of a little creature in desperate need of help.

(It was also the driver's lucky day.)

Henrico County Police

On Sunday, as Officer McGuire of the Henrico County Police pulled a car over for violating the speed limit on Interstate 64, he spotted a terrified kitten scampering along the grassy median just feet away from where they stopped on the highway. Fearing that the kitten might end up running into the road, the officer put the traffic stop on hold — and leapt into action.

With McGuire's body camera filming, he slipped on a pair of protective gloves and pursued the tiny cat, capturing her in some grass clippings.

As footage from the incident shows, McGuire's priority was now to get the animal to safety: "Because he then had a kitten in one hand, he let the speeder go with a warning," a police spokesperson told The Dodo.

After swaddling the kitten in a towel, and comforting her with some adorable baby talk, McGuire then drove her to the local animal shelter for safekeeping and, with any luck, her eventual adoption.

McGuire was sure to memorialize the rescue with a sweet selfie.

Henrico County Police

Although the speeding driver probably did deserve a ticket that day, the police spokesperson agrees that McGuire did the right thing by considering the kitten a higher priority: "We're committed to the safety and welfare of animals and we are completely supportive of his actions."

Or, as the department stated in a post online, it was "puuurfect timing for a traffic stop."