Just when you thought Slayer’s contribution to making the holidays as metal as possible would be limited to awesome Christmas sweaters and musically synchronized light displays, along comes this heartwarming tale of glad tidings and festive feline rescue to melt your frozen heart: a member of Slayer’s road crew rescued a homeless kitten before a recent show.
According to band publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald, who probably doesn’t get to mention kittens in many Slayer-related press releases, guitarist Kerry King and some of the crew headed out to King’s favorite steakhouse in Indianapolis the day before the band’s December 4 show. After dinner, assistant tour manager Jess Cortese was approached by a homeless man who offered to sell her the animal for a dollar. As Robinson-Fitzgerald reports, “the kitten apparently was freezing so Jess took it, [it] slept with her in her bunk on the bus and went to the venue with her today, hanging out. One of the runners knew someone who wanted a kitten, so the little guy now has a new home [wherever] he or she currently is.” The kitten, named Gypsy by her new owner, is being treated for fleas and worms, which seems like a prudent move after spending the night on Slayer’s tour bus.