NEED TO KNOW
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Nine-year-old Zayin Berry received the ASPCA Kid of the Year award at the ASPCA Humane Awards on Oct. 9
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Zayin earned the honor for saving a kitten being abused by a group of older kids
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The boy adopted the kitten, now named Peaches, after the rescue and is now best friends with the feline
Zayin Berry’s age hasn’t hit double digits, but the 9-year-old boy has still had enough time to become an animal rescue hero.
On Oct. 9, the Yuma, Arizona, boy received the ASPCA Kid of the Year Award at the 2025 ASPCA Humane Awards, which were held at New York City’s Plaza Hotel. Berry earned the honor through his bold and brave actions on a day in November 2024, when he stopped a group of children who were abusing a kitten.
“I’d seen the older kids tossing a baby kitten around like he was a football. I was sad and mad because of the poor kitty,” Berry tells PEOPLE of what he saw while at a Somerton, Ariz., skate park with his sister, Rhiannon Berry.
Instead of ignoring the abuse of a stray animal, Zayin quickly came up with a plan to save the innocent feline.
“I grabbed my skateboard and ran over to the kids and told them they could take my skateboard and play with it if they wanted to. They stopped tossing the kitty around and took off with my board,” Zayin says of what happened next, adding he was willing to sacrifice his board as a distraction.
After getting the older kids to abandon the kitten, Zayin was able to access the little cat himself.
“He was really hurt in his eyes and paws with yucky stuff all over him. He was so small and little when I picked him up, he was meowing, and I ran over to my mom and told her I found this kitty, and he needs our help,” the 9-year-old shares.
The Berry Family
Peaches after his eye operation
Zayin’s mother agreed the kitten needed help fast and loaded the cat into the car with her family. They stopped at a pet store to pick up supplies before bringing the kitten home. After a bath and a chance to calm down and warm up, the kitten looked better, but it was clear the male cat, later named Peaches, needed veterinary care.
Zayin and his family took the kitten to a local humane society, where veterinary staff determined the kitten had an upper respiratory infection and a severe infection in one eye.
“They told my mom that there was a possibility that once everything was done, he would lose his eye. My mom and the shelter’s staff explained that to me, and I told them, ‘I don’t care as long as he lives, because he’s my best friend,'” remembers Zayin.
The Berry Family
Zayin Berry with Peaches at home in Arizona
Peaches ultimately did have one of his eyes removed due to the severity of his infection. After his eye surgery and treatment for a respiratory infection, Peaches became a happy, healthy cat and now lives with Zayin’s family, which includes six other cats and three dogs. Peaches is now the 9-year-old boy’s full-time best friend.
“He loves me and sleeps right next to my face and gives me kisses in the morning. We are meant to be together, and I saved him. He’s mine. He is my best friend,” Zayin says of life with Peaches today.
Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com
Zayin Berry at the ASPCA Humane Awards with Peaches and his mom
At the ASPCA Humane Awards, Zayin arrived with Peahces in tow and said he was “honored” to accept the prize highlighting his kindness.
“I did anything I could to help, and to me, a life is better than anything materialistic. I can get another board, but I can’t get another Peaches,” Zayin says on why he saved the feline, adding that he hopes the act and his award inspire others. “Try to help. No one asks for pain and suffering, but if we can help even a little bit, it brightens everyone’s day.”
Zayin was in good company at the ASPCA Humane Awards, where two-time Super Bowl champion Logan Ryan received the ASPCA Public Service Award for his longtime commitment to raising awareness about animal welfare through his career.
