MOSES LAKE — A young kitten found in a drainage grate in Moses Lake by a local police officer and brought to Grant County Animal Outreach was quickly adopted earlier this month.

Officer Caitlin Carter had stopped by a local dog park late at night to do some paperwork when she heard meowing in the distance. As she approached, a black kitten popped its head out of a grate. She had to coax the little cat to come out of its hiding place but eventually got it into the back seat of her patrol car.

“It was a very, very friendly kitten; it just hung out at the back seat of my patrol car,” Carter said in a recent interview.

Though Moses Lake officers aren’t required to handle stray cats, Carter decided to transport the kitten to the local animal shelter, where it was neutered and given its vaccinations. By the end of the week, the five-week-old kitten, named Serious by animal shelter staff, had already found a home.