In November 2024, Zayin Berry saw a kitten injured by a group of older children near a skate park in Somerton, Arizona, USA. Instead of turning away, he handed over his skateboard in exchange for the safety of Peaches the cat. Peaches subsequently underwent treatment and lost an eye to a severe infection, but survived and became part of Zayin’s family. In 2025, Zayin received the ASPCA Kid of the Year recognition for this operation.

Somerton / Yuma, Arizona, United States| Kittens Peaches and Zayin Berry

The fastest decision a child can make

Public reports show that the incident occurred around November 2024. Zayin Berry was a kid who loved skateboarding when he saw a kitten being mauled by older children at a skate park near Somerton, Arizona. For an adult, such a scene is difficult enough; for a child, it can more easily turn into fear, hesitation, and silence.

Zayin did not choose silence. He used his most precious and most easily accepted thing – a skateboard – to divert the attention of those children and bring the kitten back from the scene of harm. There is no complicated plan in this action, but it is very clear: stop the harm first, take the life away first, and don’t let it stay in the hands of the abuser.

Peaches was in poor condition when he was picked up. Public reports mentioned that its eyes and paws were in poor condition and it also had breathing problems. Zayin brought the kitten to his mother, and his family took him home to be cleaned and kept warm before being taken to a local animal protection agency and veterinary care. Rescue does not end in an instant, but begins with “taking it away” and moves into treatment, fees, adoption and long-term companionship.

Peaches survives but loses an eye

Veterinary and conservation inspections revealed that Peaches had an upper respiratory infection and a serious eye infection. Public reports indicate the infection was so severe that one eye was removed. For Zayin, this is not a story of “save it and that’s it”, but watching an injured life undergo surgery, recovery and adaptation.

This is also the most important part of this profile: children’s kindness is not abstract. Instead of just saying “I love animals,” he paid a concrete price when he saw the harm happen; later, he accepted the reality that Peaches needed treatment and would lose an eye, but was still worthy of love and acceptance.

Peaches later recovered and was adopted by the Zayin family. According to the report, it became Zayin’s close companion and lived with other cats and dogs in the family. A little life that was harmed as a toy finally ceased to be an unclaimed victim and had a name, a place by the bedside, and a companion when he woke up every day.

From local rescues to ASPCA recognition

The story first spread in local media and animal protection agencies, and later attracted wider attention. Zayin’s lost skateboard was replaced with new gifts from the community, and Peaches’ medical care and adoption were supported. Follow-up like this is important: it shows that kindness does not come in isolation, that the child reaches out first and then the community, institutions and media pick up the matter.

In 2025, Zayin was recognized as an ASPCA Kid of the Year and was featured alongside Peaches in the ASPCA Humane Awards. The award is not the core of the story. The core is the judgment made by a child at the scene of the injury: items can be bought again, and lives should not be continued to be harmed.

If this story were included on this site, it would not be a simple “warm fairy tale”. The first half of it has real damage, and only the second half has repairs. Precisely because of the hurt, Zayin’s choice seemed bright; precisely because Peaches actually survived, time has proven that this choice was not an impulse, but a turning point in life.

Why included

Zayin and Peaches is included on this site because it demonstrates the most direct moral courage in children. Many adults will first assess the risks, responsibilities and troubles at the scene of an injury, but a child uses the method he can think of to stop the injury.

This story also reminds us that animal protection is not something that only large agencies, legal and rescue groups can be involved in. A child, a skateboard, and a timely exchange may change a kitten’s life.

Pictures and source description

This article uses images of Zayin and Peaches that People reported were publicly available, with attribution retained. This picture is a picture related to the person involved and the animal involved, and is not a replacement for an unrelated cat picture.

This article is compiled based on follow-up reports in People 2024 and People 2025 and reports paraphrased by the New York Post; when it comes to the injury process, it is only expressed according to public reports and does not expand unverified personal information.

timeline

• Before and after 2024-11Zayin saw a kitten injured at a skate park near Somerton and traded his skateboard for the kitten.
• subsequentlyZayin and his family took the kitten into their care and sent it to a local animal protection agency and veterinarian for treatment.
• during treatmentPeaches, the kitten, had one of his eyes removed due to a severe infection and was being treated for an upper respiratory tract infection, among other things.
• After recoveryPeaches was adopted into the Zayin family and became a family member.
• 2025-10Zayin received ASPCA Kid of the Year recognition for rescuing Peaches.

open source

• People: 9-Year-Old Hero Boy Sacrifices Skateboard to Save Kitten, Wins Animal Welfare Award
• People: Boy, 8, Rescues Kitten from Being Abused at a Local Park by a Group of Kids
• New York Post: Arizona boy makes huge sacrifice to save kitten tossed by older kids