When seeing a little kitty stuck in the middle of rush hour traffic on a highway, would you risk your life to save the helpless feline? On April 27, Hong Kong firefighter Kwok Kin Wai, off duty, chose to lend a helping hand. Footage of his heroic rescue, captured by a dashcam, went viral after being viewed over seven million times on Chinese video sharing platform Miaopai. 

Last Thursday, Kwok was riding his motorcycle toward Kowloon on the Lion Rock Tunnel Road in early morning traffic, when he saw a little kitty lying still on the highway as cars sped by over it. ‍

Initially hesitant to take action, Kwok couldn’t bear the thought of cars running over the kitten, so he eventually parked his bike at the side of the road, returning to save the kitten.

Kwok later posted pictures of the tiny cat on his Facebook page, describing what happened and asking if anyone would adopt the adorable kitten. The post received more than 47,000 likes and 5,000 shares. Kwok later sent the kitten to an animal shelter volunteer that afternoon.‍

While many people volunteered to take care of the cute little kitty, Kwok made the final decision to adopt the kitten on April 29, two days after the rescue. The kitten was called Lion, named after the nearby landmark Lion Rock where Kwok found it. Kwok posted on Facebook that fate brought them together, and he hoped to continue his bond with Lion.

World Animal Protection reported in 2015 that 375 million dogs lived without a shelter around the world, with a similar estimate for stray cats. Kwok explained on his Facebook page that he appreciated everybody’s kindness, but asked people to consider adoption only if they can accompany their furry friends for life.

The heartwarming story has moved netizens across the world. “Thank you for your courageous act of kindness, you've restored my faith in humanity.” Dawn Strachan Devlin commented on Facebook.