Kind-hearted judge grieving loss of his elderly dog adopts adorable three-legged kitten after spotting her crouched in terror in middle of busy road

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:14, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 18:16, 2 July 2026 A judge in Louisiana was left heartbroken after his elderly dog passed away, but in a heartwarming moment he found a new furry friend in the middle of a busy road.  Baton Rouge District Judge Beau Higginbotham recently said goodbye to his 16-year-old black Labrador, T'Beau, leaving him and his family devastated.  But last week, Higginbotham would find new companionship in the form of an adorable kitten that he found cowering in the middle of a busy highway.  As he drove to work one morning, the judge spotted something small pressed against the barrier wall near an overpass, The Advocate reported.  'I just happened to look over and something catches my eye, and there's just this little cat looking at me, and she's all the way up against the concrete barrier wall,' he told the outlet.  Within a split second, he made the decision to dodge traffic as he pulled over to rescue the helpless animal.  Higginbotham said that when he managed to get hold of the scared kitten, he noticed a severe injury on her back legs, with dried blood and signs of the wound beginning to rot.  'I put her in the back of my truck and went to LSU,' he continued.  Baton Rouge District Judge Beau Higginbotham said goodbye to his black Labrador, T'Beau, leaving his family devastated until he found a terrified kitten on the side of the road Higginbotham said when he got hold of the kitten, he noticed an injury on her back legs, with dried blood and signs of the wound beginning to rot the kitten needed amputation The judge decided to adopt the kitten and upon taking her home, he and his sons helped name the lucky cat Butterbean When he arrived at the veterinarian, Higginbotham learned that the poor kitten would either need an amputation of her leg or she would need to be euthanized, the outlet reported.  Staff then asked the judge if he would be the kitten's owner or leave her as a stray.    The kindhearted judge said he couldn't bear seeing the adorable and terrified animal put down or in a shelter, and decided he would adopt her as his family's new pet.  Even then, the judge's heroic actions may be in vain as the vets warned him that her long exposure to the heat may have already caused irreparable damage.  They told him that it was incredible that she hadn't already died from dehydration. The kitten went into surgery, and as the vets asked for a name for her Higginbotham said: 'Well, hopefully it's Lucky.'  Upon taking her home, he and his sons helped name the lucky cat Butterbean.  Her time in her new home has seen the kitten, despite two weeks being stuck in stitches, bouncing around full of energy.  She is also having to wear a cone and needs constant supervision while the rambunctious kitten gets used to her new life.  The judge said that it was likely the hungry cat, who weighed only two pounds when he found her, had already been gaining weight 'at the rate she's been eating.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.