By Marilyn Miller
Like all police units throughout the United States, the Dixie Inn Police Dept. pledges “to protect and serve.” No matter what the challenge may be…no matter how hot it is…no matter how sharp the kitten’s paws are…policemen are called to serve.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, Chief Jeffrey McNeill got an unusual request just as he was setting up for the Village of Dixie Inn’s second annual “Back to School” Bash at McClanahan Park. This is his story…
Two young ladies who were driving home from Alabama to north Texas saw a tiny kitten on the side of the highway. So, they stopped and picked it up. They decided to take it home with them and continued heading west.
“They had to stop for gas, so they pulled into a gas station,” Chief McNeill said. “They decided while one of them went in, the other could pump gas, leaving the kitten snug in the driver’s seat.” No, this is not a story about a cat driving off in a car…the kitten would have to get a little older for that!”
When the ladies went to get in the car, the kitten had disappeared!
“We looked all over the car,” the driver said, “before we decided it must have gotten out of the car and wandered off. So, we headed home.”
It wasn’t long before they heard a faint “meow.” They stopped the car and looked under seats and all around. They had done that several times when they reached Dixie Inn and were directed to the Dixie Inn Police Department.
“When she pulled up, we were setting up for our Back to School Bash,” the chief recalled. “She said ‘Sir, I need help!’ and she told me the story. So, we all went outside and started going through the car. I got under the dash and reached up, and the cat started hissing…and scratching.”
They had to take the dash apart, but “we finally got the kitten out, and they went on their merry way to north Texas, where they lived.”
“We are thankful that they stopped at our department,” Chief McNeill said, “because that is what law enforcement is all about. It’s not about writing tickets or taking someone to jail. It’s about helping someone in their time of need.”
“I feel God puts us in places to help others, because we would not have normally been at the police station on a Saturday. But thanks to our ‘Back to School’ Bash, we were there to help these young ladies.”
Chief McNeill added, “I tell my guys all the time that we see people at their best and their worst of times. It is up to us to try to make it better just by being good servants.”