A cyclist walked into the Silver Cross Hospital Emergency Department in New Lenox and approached the triage desk Monday with an unusual request.

The man told staff he was riding his bicycle across the country and, while traveling through Joliet, discovered a tiny kitten alone on the side of the road, the hospital said in a news release.

The cyclist said he searched for littermates and the mother cat without success. With the storm approaching, he said he decided the safest place he could think of to bring the kitten was to the Emergency Department, the release said.

One of the hospital’s ED techs contacted the local animal control while staff worked to keep the kitten safe and separate from patient care areas, the hospital said.

Staff made a bed from warm blankets. Water was carefully offered through a syringe.

It wasn’t long before the kitten had earned a name – Silver Bells, a nod to the hospital and “the joy she unexpectedly brought to the department,” the hospital said in the release.

When someone from animal control arrived, Silver Bells was assessed and deemed a healthy 6-week-old calico.

The officer said the local animal shelters were currently overwhelmed and appreciated the hospital’s willingness to help, the release said.

The kitten then comfortably perched herself on the shoulder of one of the hospital’s Service Ambassadors – Dan Pennick, the hospital said.

“We knew she had chosen her forever home,” said Jill Pateros, director of Emergency Services.

“I’ve been wanting a cat for a while,” Pennick said in the release. “I thought if God wants me to have a cat, he’s just going to put one right in front of me. And that’s exactly what happened. She’s a little miracle.”

Pennick took Silver Bell home with him at the end of his shift.

The hospital also offered the cyclist shelter from the rain, a warm meal, and “a few supplies to support the next leg of his cross-country journey,” the hospital said. “And thanks to (his) compassion, Silver Bells – now named Fantasia of Silver Bells by Dan – found her happy ending.”